When I stepped into middle school, my older brothers had long graduated from high school, and they would always remind me to take everything slow, to be grateful for the current ease of life. What was coming ahead was “nothing to rush into.”
I didn’t know what they meant until I started looking through their lens, fitting into their shoes.
Entering my junior year of high school, I have come to yearn for memories of the previous stages in life when everyone was awkward, still growing up and not being exposed to the reality of the world.
In this current era, children are growing up too fast. They are being exposed to mature content and ideas at a faster rate, causing them to gain a sense of maturity when they have the rest of their lives to experience it.
The truth is, the world is filled with detrimental habits, ideologies and gruesome incidents such as addiction, homicide, racism and suicide, which can take over people’s lives.
Most people are informed of these topics through social media, which according to the National Library of Medicine, “Up to 95% of youth ages 13-17 report using a social media platform, with more than a third saying they use social media ‘almost constantly.’”
Considering how elementary school kids are exposed to social media almost constantly as well, they are sure to be exposed to all of the above, even though they’re six to 11 years old.
This is a problem since children mimic what they see, unaware of the consequences of their actions. As they’re doing more mature things, the same type of problems occur such as self-consciousness, anxiety and depression. They can’t go back to how things once were.
A prime example of this are “Sephora kids,” which are kids who can be seen all over social media, namely TikTok, posting hauls and doing their skincare. Many also follow the trends by applying makeup and dressing up, and it makes them look older.
You’ll be able to find that even in just Perry Township, there are elementary and middle schoolers who are addicted to drugs, fighting each other, facing racism, hyperfixated on their appearance, struggling with mental wellness and many who are “lost” about their purpose in life.
Life is a gift to people, in which they are given free will to make their own choices. However, this doesn’t mean people should just focus on their own lives, but rather see how they can positively impact others.
People need to open their eyes and spend time helping kids savor their childhood because actions speak louder than words.
Treating younger children to food, playing games with them and even just hanging out can be ways to build a relationship with younger children. But the most impactful thing to do is to be an example who can still be childlike while being a role model, so the younger ones don’t think too much about what comes next in life.
