Disappearance of childhood

• The future of childhood

  Childhood is socially constructed so we can expect it to continue to change in the future, from modern to postmodern, as society itself changes.
• Postman 1994

  He argues childhood is disappearing as children are gaining the same rights as adults, dressing in the same way as adults and even committing adult crimes. There has been a disappearance of print culture which has been replaced by TV culture.
• The Middle ages

  During this period, most people were illiterate. Children were able to enter adult society from an early age. Childhood wasn't associated with innocence. There was no division between adults and children.
• 19th Century

  There became a sharp divide between adults who could read and children who couldn't. Adults had the power to keep knowledge about sex, money and violence a secret from children. Childhood was now associated with ignorance and innocence.
• Today

  TV blurs the distinction between childhood and adulthood by destroying the information hierarchy. It breaks down the boundary between adults and children. Adult authority is diminished and the ignorance of childhood is replaced with knowledge and cynicism.
• Evaluation - Opie

  Argues that childhood is not disappearing based on a lifetime's research on children's culture e.g. unsupervised children's games, rhymes and songs. All suggest there is still a separate life stage of childhood.
• Postman

  His study is useful in showing how different types of communication technology can influence how childhood is constructed. However, he overemphasises the impact of TV at the expense of other factors that have influenced childhood.