Notion of childhood in Crisis

Hugh Cunningham
1. contemporary reports on childhood in crisis is nothing new and can be understood to be cyclical rather than new happenings
  1. Pearson's study presents a history of moral panic which is often media driven through adults fear of change
    1. argues it was twentieth century that saw rapid change in how children were seen not because parents loved them more but because the state became committed to equality along with children's rights to grow and enjoy life
Sue Palmer is critic of modern childhood and concerned we are producing battery reared children and agrees crisis in childhood is due to new media and technology having changed over last 25 years which has had big impact on modern life
1. the side effects of cultural change have brought about a toxic cocktail effect that is damaging to social, emotional and cognitive development
  1. she state children are only happy when they have 'stuff' wanting things, buying things, which shows a distorted view of what makes a child happy and content
    1. that lack of play space and play itself and stress of academic success are all part of the problem ~ modern childhood is constantly being watched and placed under pressure which causes anxiety and contaminates childhood experiences
      1. she proposes children are battery reared rather than free range
As result of governments believing childhood is in crisis Green paper Every Child Matters 2004 which had 5 main points
1. staying safe - healthy- enjoying and achieving - economic well-being -positive contribution
Frank Furedi felt media portrays families in crisis which fuels angst in parents and makes them feel vulnerable as a family unit which knocks the confidence out of parents
1. he thinks the causes are breakdown in adult solidarity as people are worried to be seen intervening with children in case they are accused of wrong doing
  1. saying parents have lost confidence in themselves to parents and feel under threat and out of control
    1. one area for contention is safety of children and has escalated into a national obsession parents fear for the safety of their child are at times this is in the extreme as to what may happen to them
      1. parents are active in all aspects of child rearing to the point they have little to do with local community or even family
        he claims this can be referred to as break down in adult solidarity as adults no longer look out for each other or see them selves as having duty of care to all children ~ which has resulted in distrust of all adults who may be potential abusers of children
        he suggested children may be exploiting this fact and are keen to exert power over adult insecurities
        he concludes child rearing practices are linked to parenting styles that is encouraged by culture
twenty-first century media and public discourses on childhood invoke a notion of childhood in crisis and a general assumption that childhood is not like it used to be ~ but this is often an adult cliché and adults often refer to 'when we were young'
1. memories can be powerful and may have a bearing on how we think childhood should be
the notion that childhood is in crisis has developed across a range of sites from media texts, cultural discussion, and policy and document initiatives
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
1. believed children came from God and placed them close to nature as blessed creatures who should be unspoilt by adult world and worries, he was concerned that children became contaminated by adults ~
  1. this was during the 18th century Romantic Movement which conjured up images of childhood as a state of innocence and pure mind
childhood can be understood from historical point and minority world contexts UK in particular where media lamented on how childhood was in crisis due to modern world, overexposure to technological gadgets and electronic media and lack of outdoor spaces to play in and over reinforcing of academic testing of children
1. UNICEF report placed uk at bottom of table for well-being despite their national wealth children were growing up in poverty ~ and were more vulnerable their experiences of childhood were difficult which led to debate about Childhood in Crisis
  1. this led to change in policy documents which were commissioned by UK Government

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Notion of childhood in Crisis

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