DAVID BUCKINGHAM’S ASSERTION ON CHILDHOOD

It is controversial whether childhood is a biological or a socially produced phenomena; there are obvious variances in how various communities perceive and define childhood. The notion that childhood is natural and reliant on age does not hold water in some civilizations (Corsora, 2015, p. 302). For instance, the Fulani community in Nigeria imposes household chores, gathering firewood, and caring for younger siblings on youngsters as early as four years old. The Fulani girls are supposed to go to the market with their moms when they are six years old and sell goods they have made at home. India is another perfect example where young children are in the streets looking for food (Jenks, 2008, p. 38). These two examples illustrate how the definition of childhood is dependent on specific communities; this makes the phenomenon more of a socially-constructed idea rather than a natural stage of life. Other countries such as the United Kingdom has laws in place to define childhood. But even in these countries, there exist considerable inconsistencies and they only define childhood as a relational term to adulthood (Leonard, 2015, p. 56). The childhood phase is expressed on duties of a child, such as a school attendance, as well as an exclusion to the tasks considered to be only fit for adults such as sex, voting, employment, drinking alcohol among other “adulthood” duties. In a nutshell, childhood is a form of circularity that revolves around different views fronted by different groups of people; the adults, the policy makers, welfare agencies, teachers, researchers, philosophers, the media as well as the politicians. These people have documented laws and policies that have formed institution and social beliefs, which has established what is defined as childhood. An example of such institutions is the school which has established what childhood is. The discourse has classified levels on age rather that ability, different timetables, and curriculum classified by age and the grading system all based on the age of the children. This makes an assumption that childhood is defined by the age of a child. The definitions of childhood are majorly based on assumptions and are subject to resistance and contradictions.

Historically, childhood has evolved in distinct stages characterized by given structures that define every stage. Until the 17th century, there lacked distinct structures to define childhood. There was particularly no special outlook of childhood as a distinct phase of life. Children in Western Europe, for example, were considered to be “small adults.” Immediately the children were weaned, they were allowed to interact freely with the mature people. They could work and freely mingle with the mature people in their daily duties (Kehily, 2016, p. 30). The “small adults” were allowed to dress like other men and women in the society. Medieval paintings are available, showing clearly how the children worked, relaxed and played together. As such, there existed no significant difference between the adults and the children. The games and the general social life was more or less similar. During the era, the issue of children’s innocence was not a concern. There was no need of protecting the children from early exposure to sexual matters as well as other “adulthood activities.” As a result, children were very disrespectful and unruly. The early exposure also led to them being a violent lot.

17th century and beyond marked remarkable improvements in the societal view of childhood. The period was characterized by massive industrial revolution thus raising the demand for cheap labor (Buckingham, 2012, p. 112). At this point, the children were sourced as cheap labor in the developing industries. In the mid-18th century, there were still no clear structures to define what childhood was all about. Due to the society belief that children were “small adults,” children were allowed to offer cheap labor and consequently slaves working, eating and sleeping in the industries.

In the 1840’s, the definition of childhood was revolutionized by the passage of laws to regulate the child labor amidst protest from the owners of the industries (Corsora, 2015, p. 38)The law created stages of childhood; nine years and below were classified as children who should not be employed to work in the industries, children between nine and thirteen years were restricted to work for a maximum of 48 hours every week while those who were above 16 years were expected to work for a maximum of 68 hours.

During this phase, the church institution started to take shape, and this had an impact on the morals of the children. There started to be a gap between what is morally acceptable for a child and what was acceptable for adults. The humanitarians managed to create a distinct separation between the children and the adults; the form of dressing was different and moral teachings became of the primary objective of the school.

By the 19th Century, the industrial age was becoming of age, and there were now clear structures that defined childhood and set separation of childhood from adulthood (Jenks, 2008, p. 56). There was now an Education Act (Leonard, 2015, p. 52)that emphasized the need for schooling by the children. Consequently, children were no longer viewed as economic assets.

According to David Buckingham, the childhood dynamism is real. There have been arguments to the effect that childhood is disappearing. However, based on the chronological discussion above, the Buckingham’s assertion that childhood is not disappearing but is instead of changing its form and structure has an element of truth (Buckingham, 2013, p. 35). The childhood started off as a non-clear stage of development. It has been seen that there was no distinction between the adults and children. In fact, in the medieval times, the children used to dress and play with mature people; there were no moral expectations from the children. This has changed significantly with the development of institutions such as church and schools. As a result, we there is evident stage wise change of form and structure of the childhood.

Today, childhood is defined by clearly defined institutions. The children are completely viewed differently from the adults. There exist laws and policies that have been put in place to define childhood and what is expected of them. The children have been depicted as a stage of development with evolved products, such as TV shows, clothes, toys, and food, to suit their needs. This institutionalization of childhood has been met with resistance. There is a valid debate on the loss of innocence by the children. The childhood is no longer clearly defined as there no clear boundaries of what the children can do. Although there are clear laws regulating it, children have been exposed to acts such as sexual activities, alcohol drinking among others. This is a challenge that has accompanied the change of childhood. It appears like the childhood is disappearing and there are no longer boundaries, but the truth is, the change in the institution has brought significant changes in the form of childhood; some positives and others negative. Unlike, ancient childhood, today, there are proper structures that attempt to define childhood. The children’s innocence seems to be losing ground.

Technology and Childhood

Technology has had an influence on the institution of childhood; the societal perception determines whether the influences are beneficial or detrimental. The technology phase is one of the primary differences between the traditional childhood and late childhood. In the modern day world, children have exposure to computers; electronic devices that the society has used in different ways either improving their lives or destroying their future. It has been used as an escape where people take their frustrations caused by immorality, commercialism, sexism and violence. On the other hand, the computers are unique tools of hope and virtue. The technology has improved the awareness and creativity of the children (Buckingham, 2013, p. 48). It is, however, true that the machines have exposed the children to harmful content that is considered unfit for their consumption. Consequently, the debate is life on whether the technology is a good thing to the childhood institution or not.

Impacts of Technology on Childhood

The 21st technology impacts on the developing children are incredibly high. The impacts are on the rise, and there are significant differences between the children of the previous children and the modern children (Corsora, 2015, p. 112). The changes are both positive and negative; the children have quickly bridged the gap that exists between them and the adults. They are informed and knows almost everything.

The television content has significantly changed. What appeared as “watershed” program is now open to the viewership of children. Additionally, horror movies used not to be watched strictly by the adults. With the rise in technology, the children have increasingly watched horror movies; it has been openly accepted, and more and more children are watching horror as their movies of choice. The characters in the horror movies perform scenes that are obscene and unfit for children’s consumption. This has led to increased media violence; the children are picking ideas from these television content making them more and more violent. A comparison of the modern children and children from a few decades ago reveals a more violent modern child. These are social issues that should be thoroughly addressed rather than dismiss it as a moral panic issue.

The cultural change of the children as influenced by the technology is also key. The children have changed their culture, some to the benefit of their later life and others negatively affecting their future. The discussion of the effects of the technology can be well understood when discussed in the light of technological advances to the general societal norms and beliefs. In as much as the culture appears to be changing the childhood, there is a general change and acceptability in the society. It is, however, imperative to note that this does not change the fact that there are changes in the dressing, manners as well as the social interaction between the adults and children (Leonard, 2015, p. 146). Modern day children no longer consider outside playing as something worth their time, unlike the traditional child. Instead, there are hooked to technology games; the argument that this has improved their cognitive behavior is true. It is, however, also true that the interaction life is negatively affected.

On the positive side, the technological advancements have had fruitful impacts to childhood. There are marked improvements on the school institution and the sensual and visual senses. Modern children have outstanding motor abilities when compared to the children from previous decades. The children are informed and have sufficient sources of healthy information. This exposure has led to a generation that is creative and open to research.

It is important for children to be all round. In as much as there exist positive impacts, the children have not developed fully. There are many cases of ADH and Autism cases resulting from the technology behavior.

Education and Childhood

Education is undoubtedly one of the most vital tools that have revolutionized the childhood phenomenon. The understanding of what education is varies from person to person. Traditionally, education was viewed as a systematic schooling procedure. However, this definition has been under severe scrutiny by educationists, and the argument of the school aspect being the entire description of education has been overhauled. Instead, educationists have defined education has any process that aims at imparting general knowledge thus improving the cognitive ability and judgment of individuals. The social acceptance of education in childhood has been great. This is largely contributed to legislations and the creation of institutions that enables the process to take place. Unlike in the traditional setting, the law in most parts of the world bans child labor and makes it compulsory for children to obtain the basic education. This has improved the reasoning ability of the modern children when compared to their peers in the traditional setup.

Impacts of Education on Childhood

Education has had significant benefits for the childhood institution. The benefits are primarily positive although to some extent, there a few adverse effects that modern day education has had on the children. The view of the impacts of education on the children in the society can be debatable with what may seem a benefit to one entity being a complete disadvantage to another. For example, the fact that education has been institutionalized into schools and teachers forced to follow a predetermined curriculum may seem to be a benefit to the parents who has the relief of the children being in school as they attend their day jobs (Buckingham, 2013, p. 96). However, are these institutions and the learning mechanisms really beneficial to the children? This depends on the society and the form of curriculum used in that institution. If the curriculum serves to overload the children and deny them their right to play and develop their social lives, then the very fact of institutionalizing education is a disadvantage, vice versa is true.

Education has considerably improved the children’s creativity and the reasoning ability. This has positively enhanced their social life and reduced the dependency on the adults. The shift definition of the childhood has, as a result, been overtaken by the increased growth of cognitive abilities by the modern child. The children have developed excellent abilities to perform tasks that were traditionally reserved for adults. The exposure brought about by the education has also resulted into indulgence in economic activities (Jenks, 2008, p. 35). Today, we have thousands of children in paid employment due to their impeccable skills; some are dancers, artists, singers and even designers. This is a proper representation of the paradigm shift of the traditional view of childhood.

The education influence on the children is also visible in the society moral fabric. The education opens up the thinking of the children, and they develop the “independence mentality.” This is a scenario where children have developed their platform of decision making in seclusion to the societal advice and contribution. The knowledge imparted coupled with the technological advancement has created a platform for the children to discuss issues amongst their peers. This has two sides; the positive side is the promotion of independent decision making, but there is a flipside, that the decisions made may be (Kehily, 2016, p. 23). There is marked increase in drug abuse, irresponsible sexual behaviors among other distasteful behaviors.

Education has opened doors of opportunities to children. Unlike traditional childhood, children are exposed to the global issues, and they acquire opportunities due to their literacy (Corsora, 2015). This has had positive impacts on the economic status of the society. Overall, education is a plus to the childhood phase.

Drivers of Change

There are a significant number of entities that has contributed to the transformation of childhood. They include;

Schools

This remains a vital driver of change in childhood. The schools have greatly contributed to the change of thinking and reasoning among children. Consequently, the children have developed an independent mentality that has directly influenced the way they behave. Compared to several decades ago, the children have got exposure to economic opportunities and chances to interact with many more people. The school has developed curriculums and timetables that have changed the routine of the children. It has created a platform where many children meet and exchange ideas leading to a more informed childhood in comparison to the traditional childhood.

Churches

The church has played a significant role in the transformation of childhood. In the initial stages, the church contributed to the creation of schools as a way of empowering the children (Kehily, 2016, p. 9). The clergy helped in the prevention of slavery among children. This helped in the protection of the children from exploitation during the industrial revolution. As a result, children developed socially as they had more time to interact and mingle with other people. The moral fabric of the society strengthened and there developed a distinct definition of what children could do and what they couldn’t.

Policy Makers

There are a series of legislations that has defined the childhood. Initially, there was a little or no distinction at all. However, laws were passed that defined childhood; in the UK for example, laws were passed to put limitations on the age where a child can get into paid employment. Other legislations that have impacted on childhood involves the age limit on Identity Card issuance, tax payment as well as sexual engagements. All these policies have led to the progressive separation of children from the adults.

Humanitarians

This particular group was instrumental in revolutionizing childhood. Their voices have been loud whenever they felt the need to effect a change in the way the affairs of children were being run. A case in point is the mistreatment of children during the industrial revolution (Buckingham, 2012, p. 28). Humanitarians complained about the issue until policymakers passed legislation to that effect.

Technology Inventors

The pioneers of different technology appliances have significantly changed the dynamics of childhood. Today’s children have more exposure to the entire world and have affected their social lives. Technology has made the children become independent thinkers as they chart their way forward in life. Additionally, technological advancement is credited for the depreciating morality in the society. The sexual behavior and the dressing code has completely changed in the new technological dispensation.

Conclusion

In light of the discussion above, the assertion by David Buckingham that childhood is not disappearing but instead undergoing a transformation in form and structure is indeed true. The structure and form of ancient childhood have progressively changed; the change has been sequential, and until now, there are distinct institutions defining childhood. However, various developments that are present today compared to ancient times has transformed the form of childhood. This is because, despite having clear laws defining what children should do and what they shouldn’t, factors such as education and technology has seen a complete neglect of these policies. Children can now earn in employment even before the get to the documented age, sexual exposure and drug use are also rampant. On a positive note, however, the advancement of technology and improved education systems has improved the cognitive abilities of these children. Their reasoning was way better than that of the children several decades ago.

The aspect of the disappearing of childhood does not hold water. This is because the childhood still exists, the difference between children is clear and documented. It is, therefore, true that it’s only the structures and the form that has changed.

References

Buckingham, D., 2012. After the Death of Childhood. s.l.:Wiley Publishers.

Buckingham, D., 2013. Beyond Technology: Children’s Learning in the Age of Digital Culture. s.l.:Wiley Publishers.

Corsora, W. A., 2015. The Sociology of Childhood. Fourth Edition ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Jenks, C., 2008. Childhood: Critical Concepts in Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge; Taylor and Francis Group.

Kehily, M. J., 2016. Understanding childhood: an Introduction to some key themes and issues. mh Education Journal, p. 34.

Leonard, M., 2015. The Sociology of Children, Childhood and Generation. s.l.:Sage Publications.