Younger kids today aren’t being kids anymore. How so? Today the younger generation puts an inconsiderate time of energy into things that are considered to be more “adult”. Kids who are in elementary school are acting like they’re older than they are which isn’t their fault. When scrolling through my feeds I’ll see elementary schoolers and early middle schoolers making get-ready with me’s with high-end skincare products. Social media is a factor in this, taking away a fundamental period in childhood.

 According to the BBC, the average age at which parents allow their children to get a phone is 10, which accesses an unlimited world to them at their fingertips. That age is common in even our generation but social media increases in popularity as each year goes on. As new trends are forming today’s generation looks more up to influencers who base their platform on their lifestyle. They post content from fashion shows to makeup brand deals. An example of an influencer is Alix Earle who became popular in the summer of 2022. After her popularity, I started noticing the new generation’s unhealthy obsession with makeup and skincare. When I was their age I didn’t even know what Sephora was or what they sold, my focus was on when I could watch my favorite show on my TV.

Screen time is also a major change factor contributing to the rise of the popularity of YouTube shorts and TikTok. One of the YouTubers I used to watch when I was in elementary school was called Cookie Swirl C, and she would post mostly toy-related videos. When I checked to see if she still posts it showed her only posting videos that had to do with gameplay which is increasing in popularity. When I think of enjoyment in childhood it’s physically playing with toys but also a part of it is digital. Watching YouTubers play with toys or play Minecraft was something I looked forward to. My memories also involve me scanning through toy aisles of Toy R US keeping those videos in mind. It made me realize kids aren’t as interested in toys nowadays which startled me because those were core memories for me.

What does this mean for us as a society? Childhood is precious to each life and it’s the start of our upbringing and can affect the choices we make, how we act, how we talk, etc. It’s the root of our lives. As each generation’s childhood grows slightly different it can mean many different things. Taking time to mature and learn things with time is valuable. Rushing into maturity tends to cause people to regret it because we have over half of our lives to be mature and valuing the time we have is important. New generations focusing on “adult” things isn’t their fault but it is going to affect them in the future. As childhood changes for everyone I value the one I had and I’m grateful I had the chance to be a little kid.