the future of childhood

• Neil postman (1994)

  • argues that childhood is "disappear at a dazzling speed
  • he argues to the trend towards giving children the same rights as adults
  • television blurs the distinction between childhood and adulthood by destroying the information hierarchy
  • the boundary between adult and child is broken down,adult authority diminishes and the ignorance and innocence of chis replaced by knowledge and cynicism
• Neil postman "childhood is disappearing at a dazzling speed"

  why?

  • increased rights for children
  • children committing adult crimes
  • blurring lines between child cultures
  • declining parental authority
  • information hierarchy is breaking down
• evaluation of postman

  iona opie (1993)

  • argues that childhood is not disappearing. bases on content analysis into children's games,rhymes and songs,she argues that there is strong evidence of separate children's culture over many years
  • findings contradict postman's claim that children's own unsupervised games are dying out
  • their studies show that children can and do create their own independent culture separate from that of adults
  • *other criticisms of postman is that he places too much emphasise on tv when other factors need to be considered
• there is still a separate children's culture

  • separate tv channels and programmes
  • separate children's games and songs
• sue palmer {toxic childhood}

  • increase in ADHD
  • increase in substance abuse and self harm
  • increase in mental health problems
• according to palmer the trend to toxic childhood

  1. unhealthy food
  2. lack of play in natural surroundings
  3. poor sleep patterns
  4. little time to interact with family
  5. decline in emotional security

  BUT

  palmers study is ethnocentric (western white)

  suggests that toxic childhood is a new phenomena when it isnt

  more information availability has led to more paranoid parenting
• julia margo and mike dixon (2006)

  uk youth are at or near the top of internation league tables for obesity, self harm, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, early sexual experiences
• jenks- childhood is changing not disappearing
• control over childrens space- play in some areas but forbidden in others
• control children's time - adults control children's daily routine