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Toxic Childhood: How The Modern World Is Damaging Our Children And What We Can Do About It

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Along with changing attitudes, social policies and specialist institutions emerged which gradually changed the status of children. In 1880 it became compulsory for all children to attend school aged 5-12, with the responsibility for attendance falling on the Local Education Authorities. school leaving age raised to 15 (also the year of the Tripartite system and massive increase in funding to build new secondary modern schools) The recent growth of the idea of ‘rights of the child’ has given children more of a voice in society.

In the book, Palmer argues that a toxic mix of technological and cultural changes are having a negative impact on the development of a growing number of children, and she outlines six main ways in which childhood has become increasingly toxic over the years. Six examples of toxic childhood Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein Director of the Graduate Centre for International Research in Childhood: Literature, Culture, Media Given the trend towards toxic childhood, it should come as no surprise that young children are being increasingly exposed to technologies such as iPads as part of very early socialisation, and it should be no more surprising that such exposure is having an effect on children’s behaviour. The number of children estimated to be behind with language and communication skills in England and Wales increased to 1.9 million in 2023, up from 1.7 million in the previous year.Having seen Palmer's book, I would be more convinced if the letter had not been orchestrated by a writer so free with the word "toxic", whose focal image is a grumpy kid with an ice cream. Palmer resumes her victimisation of this "monster" (as she has now become), and those closest to her, in her final chapter. "My heart goes out to those parents," she concludes. The development of a coherent, well-funded approach to care and education from pre-birth to age seven, including a kindergarten stage for three- to seven-year-olds emphasising social and emotional development and outdoor play.

This book apparently sparked an international debate. Which sadly, I wasn’t a part of. Why? Because I hadn’t yet conceived a child and arguably, I was one of the toxic children that was being developed in the first phase of integration into technology. I would love to laugh about it, but it’s a fact. Of course you also need to be skeptical about this data – it’s possible that boys are under-reporting, given the whole ‘masculinity thing’. Point 1 – Child welfare policies protect children in the family – Laws prevent them from working, children MUST go to school, children have rights, social services can intervene if necessary. Evaluation – It is possible to interpret these laws as preventing the family from being more child centred – e.g. compulsory schooling.National guidelines on screen-based technology for children up to the age of 12, produced by recognised authorities in child health and development.

Childhood lasts an inordinately long time. Experience of it at first hand can be joyful and fulfilling while also labour-intensive, time-consuming, often tedious and increasingly expensive. Those parents coping with these problems in the past without feeling much obvious affection for their young sometimes managed to opt out of any organised form of child rearing at all, leaving their children to grow up as best they could. Parents today do not have this option, unless they want to risk trouble with the law. But out of all these competing claims on time, money and personal space, some British children still manage to have a good enough childhood. Others demonstrably do not, and to the extent that government can help out here, Palmer is right to argue for far more vigorous state intervention. There is for example a clear case now for further protecting children from undesirable commercial pressures. But ultimately the state of childhood cannot be separated from what is also happening to adults at the same time. Improving life for everyone has always been the best way to help children. An awareness of the bigger picture where modern society is concerned would have made this a better all-round study. Those of a liberal persuasion would probably be against even more state intervention in the lives of families, however I personally don’t see these policies as ‘intervening’ in the lives of families, they are more about forcing companies to restrain their marketing of unhealthy food to children, so personally I can’t think of any decent arguments against these government policies…… suggestions welcome in the comments! In the split second in my mind that it takes me to decide on my response, it hits me about what is wrong with this book.Professor Lord Layard Director, Wellbeing Programme, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics & Political Science

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