Kids growing up to fast

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

Time for another one of Dusty's society threads...

Ok, I was sitting in English and we are talking about a non-fiction essay. The story told about an 8 year old kid discovering the world is a dark and sinister place. I was a little bit sad about that. You know it happens. Kids 3-10 are playing games that deal with war, murder, and sex. They are watching movies that deal with serial killers, rape, and cannibalism. That basically screws the kid up. I know a lot of you will probably say, well all the kids I know watch kids television programs. I just want to make it clear I'm talking kids with ages that range from 3-10. I saw a 6 year old watching SAW. It really makes me sad that the images that will be implanted into there head are what they are going to think of the world. That 6 year old will never have imagination about gumdrops and fairy tales. No. That kid will look at the world and be scared of every one. I know of a 5 year old that watches Family Guy. I know your all thinking "So what?" I ask you this, is that really an appropriate show for a 5 year old to watch. South Park, American Dad, and King of the Hill also fall under the category. Kids that watch shows and movies like that lose their innocents. Those kids will never know of a fantasy world (that every child should have) where everyone is happy. They will only know of racism, murder, and war. I think it's sad. I actually cried in that class today, thinking about it.

Yet again I was talking about kids 3-10 so don't think I'm talking about kids 10-17.

What do you think about this? Do you think it's better that they lose their innocents right away, or do you think that they should find out by them selves when they're old enough to?

[Zerul 554]

I'm with you 100%. The things that go one when you're young will define your older self.I personally believe they should hold on to innocence,No point in rushing it (:

[Twiliscael 3,960]

I agree. God damn it, today I heard some SECOND graders talking about pussy and guns. Really? What the fuck has society done to screw up kids this early? I mean, I probably lost my innocence a little too early but not SECOND GRADE.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I agree. God damn it, today I heard some SECOND graders talking about pussy and guns. Really? What the fuck has society done to screw up kids this early? I mean, I probably lost my innocence a little too early but not SECOND GRADE.

 

Dang, second graders... That is just awful. Second graders shouldn't even know what pussy is let alone be able to talk about it without laughing at it.

[Twiliscael 3,960]

Dang, second graders... That is just awful. Second graders shouldn't even know what pussy is let alone be able to talk about it without laughing at it.

 

It's awful. You know who's to blame though? It's not so much the parents but the older kids. For example, say one of their older brothers goes along telling them all this stuff and showing them all this other stuff. What's the kid gonna do? He's gonna share it with his friends.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

I was exposed to this sort of stuff through media from the age of 7. I handled it quite well but my knowledge of the word "fuck" from 2nd grade has gotten me in trouble a few times, since then which I've learned from my mistakes, but the exposure helped me shape who I am because I was exposed to the critically acclaimed pool of movies and video games, all of which have fantastic storylines and gameplay, for example. I just learned to deal with these things maturely compared to a lot of kids my age at the time, and not flaunting it around wherever I went.

 

That said, there are definitely not many kids like me who could handle all that the way I did, so it's really in the best interests of everyone if people became a lot more strict with kids being exposed to mature rated content.

[Flying Whales 311]

I agree with this so much. I actually feel bad for kids these days they don’t get a chance to be a kid. It’s sad, I mean when I was younger I’d watch South Park because I thought it was funny and the cool thing to do, my parents would catch me watching it and tell me not to, I’d still watch anyway when they weren’t around but I can see being older now from a different perspective why they would say that. Kids 3-10 don’t need to be exposed to things like SAW and Family Guy, it just desensitizes them at an early age. Kids need to be kids and I think we as a society have failed when kids that young feel like they need to be watching SAW, or that parents don’t prevent their kids or deter them from watching adult material in the first place. I think you are right kids should live in a fantasy world at a young age, they should have an idealistic outlook on the world, stuff like Family Guy weather they understand every joke and reference or not ruins that.

Edited August 25, 2012 by Whales

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I was exposed to this sort of stuff through media from the age of 7. I handled it quite well but my knowledge of the word "fuck" from 2nd grade has gotten me in trouble a few times, since then which I've learned from my mistakes, but the exposure helped me shape who I am because I was exposed to the critically acclaimed pool of movies and video games, all of which have fantastic storylines and gameplay, for example. I just learned to deal with these things maturely compared to a lot of kids my age at the time, and not flaunting it around wherever I went.

 

That said, there are definitely not many kids like me who could handle all that the way I did, so it's really in the best interests of everyone if people became a lot more strict with kids being exposed to mature rated content.

 

That sounds about me though I was introduced to it at age 8 through the internet... (I really do not like porn sites) That made me lose my innocents and now I'm against modern society and I'm trying to help people not do what I do.

[Pan the Fabulous Ferret 2,642]

I know exactly what you mean... I am glad for how over protective my mother was about letting me do those kinds of things. And it makes me sick to my stomache thinking about all the crap out there that kids are exposed to. What is happening to our society?

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I know exactly what you mean... I am glad for how over protective my mother was about letting me do those kinds of things. And it makes me sick to my stomache thinking about all the crap out there that kids are exposed to. What is happening to our society?

 

That's what I'm trying to find out myself... I really dislike that I can't turn on my local news and not get a murder story slammed down throat. Society controlled by the media...

[FedoraMemes 582]

As a young teenager (I think I may be the youngest, if not one of the youngest members on the site), I can say, that really, it depends how mature they are. For example, you could be 8 and have the maturity of a 40 year old, so if you learned about sex, violence and drugs at an early age, and were very mature, they would handle it differently to someone who was more immature, and maybe for them, it would be better if they found out when they were older.

 

I found out about sex when I was about 8 or 9, at first I was very immature about it, but then I discovered that it was how babies were made, I began to take it more seriously. I still might find a sexual joke funny, but still stay mature about the concept.

[Demiurge 108]

I may be only 17 but there is a very noticeable difference between people my age and kids 3 years younger. All these 10 year olds watching Jersey Shore and other BS that's on TV these days. I remember at their age I watched Pokemon, Hey Arnold, Arthur and all those 90s classics. I'm lucky I was raised in a small town with good standards. I tried to set a good example for my two younger sisters but then we moved to Athens, Greece. Big city, completely different life style and people. For example my cousins who lived there knew about all those things kids shouldn't know about at a young age. My 10 year old cousin has been talking about sex and all that and drinking coffee from the age of 6. Of course it always depends on family and environment.

 

I'm starting to lose hope in humanity. And I'm guessing it will only get worse. The best I can do is try and raise my children as best I can with the rules and philosophy my parents taught me.

 

Off topic: Wow, 8 replies before I answered. This thread is popular.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

That sounds about me though I was introduced to it at age 8 through the internet... (I really do not like porn sites) That made me lose my innocents and now I'm against modern society and I'm trying to help people not do what I do.

 

The internet is a lot more accessible and expansive these days, so it's a lot easier for kids to go on sites which they shouldn't really be going on - that includes music which gives kids the wrong idea of what they should and shouldn't be doing (even if that wasn't the message the song was giving), music videos which are just... sad these days, and other bad websites that are much easier to stumble upon here in 2012. It all comes down to parenting, however. It's up to the parents to be aware that things are more accessible now than they were when we were young, so their internet experience will make or break them depending on the parent. Parents are underrated and under-performing these days, it appears.

 

Provided, some kids will "be like me" and will be able to handle all the bad stuff and stand out from his peers, but again, he's a standout in a crowd of many future delinquents.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I may be only 17 but there is a very noticeable difference between people my age and kids 3 years younger. All these 10 year olds watching Jersey Shore and other BS that's on TV these days. I remember at their age I watched Pokemon, Hey Arnold, Arthur and all those 90s classics. I'm lucky I was raised in a small town with good standards. I tried to set a good example for my two younger sisters but then we moved to Athens, Greece. Big city, completely different life style and people. For example my cousins who lived there knew about all those things kids shouldn't know about at a young age. My 10 year old cousin has been talking about sex and all that and drinking coffee from the age of 6. Of course it always depends on family and environment.

 

I'm starting to lose hope in humanity. And I'm guessing it will only get worse. The best I can do is try and raise my children as best I can with the rules and philosophy my parents taught me.

 

Off topic: Wow, 8 replies before I answered. This thread is popular.

 

I know, I hear 5 year old s singing Nicki Minaj. I wish kids would realize that childhood is special and Jersy Shore shouldn't even be watched by 15 year olds let alone kids younger then 10. I will raise my kids with my personal philosophy about society.

[Spatsi 151]

Well if you take a look at the past ages you'll see that nowadays process of growing up is, in fact, quite long. I mean, some time ago people at the age of 16 were fully prepared to live on their own. they were starting families by the age of 20 and it was something normal.

Nowadays, of course we live much longer and period of childhood can be prolonged. We should try to stop children from watching violence/porn/etc as long as it's possible. Childhood should the best period in everyone's life and not include any nasty elements.

 

. I will raise my kids with my personal philosophy about society.

 

I really hope you're gonna do it, but it may be very hard. You can protect them from all bawdy things, but don't forget that society also has huge influence on child's mentality. For example, when they go to school you won't be able to control who they talk to and what about, classmates have huge impact on young children. Anyway, good luck

Edited August 24, 2012 by Spatsi

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

Again, media causes a bunch of this stuff that kids shouldn't be exposed to. I blame technology for alot of problems anyway. Even though I use it xP

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

Yeah. I lived in fantasy land until I was like 14 and I'm happy for it. Sure I knew the world could be a bad place, but I also that for every villain there's a hero. Regardless if it was true or not I'm still thankful because I know what that mindset felt like as a happy place.

 

As for entertainment I wasn't exactly innocent, I saw Robocop and the Terminator movies fairly young. But hell, even that had hero's and villains and wasn't the black and black confusion of some things today. T2 still stands as one of my favorites, if you look at the movies message it's actually rather uplifting.

 

As for kid stuff, I still fondly remember, when I grew up the characters in those shows were real heros to be looked up too. Mystic Knights, GI Joe, Spider-Man, Batman, Super Man, I could on and on.

 

 

Reminds me of an essay I wrote for a DA journal about FiM

 

"After some time on the forums, and thinking about this whole crazy pony thing I got a thought. I think I know why it attracts us. The optimism speaks to a part of us down deep inside, the part of our soul hidden away as we grew up. The part that sees the world in black and white. That looks up to heroes and thinks bad guys never win.

 

As kids we all saw through the darkness of this world to the light. We were truly happy. Remember how happy we was to go with out moms or dads and get a new game or some cartoons on VHS, or getting some "Yu-Gi-Oh" cards(don't tell me you didn't cry at the shows finale when the pharaoh left)? I remember buying a bag of tapes for $5 at the pawnshop.

 

Heck, for me even going to some yard-sales on the weekend was paradise. Life was so simple to us back then.

 

Remember elementary school when we knew everyone in our class, and even school was fun?

 

I think we look at Equestria and see that ideal world we lived in as children and it awakens that part of us. Even dark stories give hope. Grim-dark is a way of facing our own fears and doubts along side heroes we can look up too. Sad stories help us find tears that needed to be shed. I remember when my sister died I didn't cry, but a sad fanfic broke down the wall let me cry for her after over six years.

 

It's hard to believe I'm talking about pastel ponies, I can hardly believe myself something simple is making such an profound impact. I guess all I can end this with is thanks, to all the people that gave us Pinkie, Fluttershy, Twilight, Applejack, Dash, and Rarity, you've all done more good then you'll ever know"

Edited August 25, 2012 by Shoboni

[spaghettinoodles 298]

Jersey Shore shouldn't be watched by anyone.

Anyway, I know exactly what you're saying. I'm glad that my parents sort of kept me in a protective bubble for the first 12 years of my life, and after that let me discover things for myself. Even now, I'm not very grown up at all. I'm a 14 year old who thinks and acts like a 14 year old.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

This post has been redacted by the author.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Blue

[pinkieshyrose 58]

My little brother is 6 and has been exposed to some things I was over protected but he is more forcerful and my parents just cant keep up with him he has watched family guy when he was about 4 or 3 also youtube videos with many thing he shouldnt be watching hes monitored but not quite as fully as he should be sadly it has affectted him alot jokes do not contain any inoccense and hes level of what hes watching is slightly higher than mine and I am 14 it happend after me liking pokemon years ago on cartoon network and he following me on that channel and know he watched family guy youtube adventure time and regular show frequently its sad because his child hood is so short where mine is just ending slightly.So I think being older is better for losing inoscense

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

No unsupervised internet for my kids until they're 7.

We'll see what I can do about that- assuming that the .KID top level domain goes through.

 

Seriously though, why hasn't that happened yet?

We could filter off 70% of the shit on the internet by having the main website domains that make sense to partition it.

 

These exist:

.COM

.NET

.ORG

.BIZ

.COOP

.AERO

.EDU

.GOV

.XXX

 

These SHOULD exist:

.KIDS

.MED

.SPORT

.POST

.MAIL

.WEB

 

And websites should adhere to them better.

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

Literally, also I blame parents too. Always getting children without knowing responsibilities. In truth, they are also babies.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

No unsupervised internet for my kids until they're 7.

We'll see what I can do about that- assuming that the .KID top level domain goes through.

 

Seriously though, why hasn't that happened yet?

We could filter off 70% of the shit on the internet by having the main website domains that make sense to partition it.

 

These exist:

.COM

.NET

.ORG

.BIZ

.COOP

.AERO

.EDU

.GOV

.XXX

 

These SHOULD exist:

.KIDS

.MED

.SPORT

.POST

.MAIL

.WEB

 

And websites should adhere to them better.

 

That is such a great idea... That would be so helpful to parents trying to find websites that they can go on.

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

That is such a great idea... That would be so helpful to parents trying to find websites that they can go on.

 

I don't think parents could care less about what sites the kids who watch all that stuff go on... Who knows though.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I don't think parents could care less about what sites the kids who watch all that stuff go on... Who knows though.

 

Well, going back to your post about it's the parents fault. I know some parents who do wish to control whats on the computers. I also know parents who could care less. I think it can be the parents fault if no action is taken.