When I was growing up, being a kid was THE BEST. As a kid, you were allowed to live with not as many responsibilities as teenagers and adults have. Being a kid is also defined as being messy, wearing obnoxiously cute looking shirts (highlighting the word obnoxious), making mistakes and learning from them, and playing silly childhood games such as tag, hide and seek, cops and robbers, etc. Now, as a teenager about to become an adult, I have noticed how the new generation is becoming more focused on unnecessary maturing.
Due to the evolution of technology, the younger generation has access to phones, tablets, and computers, which means they all have access to social media platforms. Social media platforms can be quite influential towards specific audiences. Although many find social media as a type of entertainment or destresser, it also opens many opportunities for dangerous situations such as kidnapping, predators, and cyberbullying. Based on my own personal experiences, I would say all social media platforms should be at least 13+ years old to use due to the unlimited entertainment one many find even when just scrolling through.
The younger generation is known to be drawn to electronics. Personally, the best times from my childhood was going outside and playing games with neighborhood friends. As many kids today have some sort of electronic entertainment, I feel as though times when going outside with friends are being forgotten and replaced. The term “screenager” definitely did not come from nowhere.
As I am a person who uses social media daily, I regularly come across at least four kids specifically on TikTok, attempting some type of dance or G.R.W.M (Get Ready With Me) video showing what products they use on their face or what makeup they use. When I was younger, I personally did not know what makeup was and was not concerned enough to find out. To my knowledge, the purpose of makeup is to enhance one’s favored features or to cover up some temporary things. Adults wear makeup to express themselves and gather attention from others. Therefore, I do not see the necessity of kids doing makeup.
Another thing that is frequently overlooked is the fashion style of the new generation. As a person who also loves dressing nicely, I believe that there is a certain limit that kids are not allowed to cross. Many Gen Z and Millennials growing up have experienced wearing neon shirts with either animal prints or texts saying motivational sentences such as “follow your dreams!” that mothers had chosen for us or were gifted, which potentially also projected our ages. Today, I see kids wearing revealing clothes that evokes the phrase “showing too much skin”. I feel that it is completely inappropriate. It is one thing to let your child have style, it is another thing to allow them clothing that could potentially put them in danger. In cases where a dangerous situation has risen, the victim should not be blamed for when the crime occurs, but it is avoidable to put an unnecessary risk on a child.
I, too, can understand the desire to be older and have that freedom, but I also understand that you are only a kid once and should live your life to the fullest by having fun and making those mistakes while you still can with minor consequences. Kids should make memories to look back on as they grow up because, sooner or later, they will be an adult with more responsibilities, and many will regret having forfeited their childhood early.
