Children have not yet reach physical maturity. They have not yet reached puberty or sexual maturity, however full development doesn't end until mid 20's
Children are simple and amoral, see the world in black and white, only really concerned with themselves and don't look at the impact on others
Adults are complex and moral, able to see the world in shades of grey looking at multiple view points and have developed a moral compass for decision making
Pre-industrial era - children were considered mini adults with little variation in games, toys, clothing and culture, children would work as soon as they were able
Industrial era - start of the modern concept of childhood, but children still worked in factories, treated the same as adults in the criminal justice system, development of child protection laws
Modern era - childhood is protected time of innocence and dependency which can last until late teens or early 20's, children have a distinct separate culture to adults including toys, games and clothing
Different stages of development are more likely to be a social construction than others - infancy/toddlers not a social construction due to complete dependency, 5-12 age group could be considered a social construction, 13+ age group more than likely a social construction
Legal - work restrictions, compulsory education, safeguarding in schools, juvenile vs adult legal systems
Rights of the child - UN rights of the child including right to life, survival and development, protection from violence, abuse or neglect, education, relationship with parents, expression of opinions
Protections and welfare services - UK minister for children and families, social services to protect children and support families
Child centeredness - quality over quantity, decisions made with best interests of child in mind
Gender - boys given more freedom, girls socialised into bedroom culture
Ethnicity - ethnic groups have different expectations and responsibilities for children
Class - poor children more likely to have lower birth weight, die in infancy, suffer illness, be shorter, fall behind in school, be on child protection list
Childhood as we know it is disappearing at a rapid rate due to the collapse of the information hierarchy - children have much more access to information and ways to participate in the adult world, children given the same rights as adults, blurring of adult and child culture
Western notion of childhood is spreading around the world - campaigns for universal education, charities focused on helping street children and preventing child labour, globalised TV and media
Current studies of childhood have been outside looking in and rarely include children in their data collection, need to include children and focus on the present tense of childhood from a child's perspective, children are active agents playing a major part in creating their own childhoods