Introduction
It is the joy of every parent to raise well-behaved and independent children who are responsible for their lives. However, contemporary changes in lifestyle and the rise of technology have made it difficult for most families to realize this essential dream. Today, the inability by most parents to attain work-family balance has led to the emergence of a generation of children who are ill-behaved. One wonders if the current state of affairs is a sign of an outbreak of misbehavior. Scholars have identified three factors that are contributing to deteriorating behaviors amid children. The lack of socialization among kids has made it hard for millennials to relate to others or resolve disputes. Access to electronic media has exposed children to multiple ideas and information, hindering the ability to mold their identity (Mcginn 2018). Poor parenting in many families has resulted in modern kids not acquiring social skills that are pertinent to raising responsible teens. These three elements have led to child manners getting worse than it was two decades ago. This paper will analyze how kids’ behaviors have declined over the decades and identify some of the factors that have contributed to these changes.
Access to Electronic Media
Economic, political and social events have significant impacts on the behaviors that children adopt. Contemporary youths are not exceptional; hence social media and technology have had considerable contribution to their lives. Divecha (2017) uses the term “iGens” to refer to the current cohort of children. These are kids who are tech-savvy, value iPhones, have a different outlook of income inequality and prefer individualism. The increased use of mobile phones and the internet amid teens has led to them becoming weak emotionally. Studies show that contemporary media are contributing to kids being depressed, anxious and lonely. Moreover, they are hindering their capacity to develop social skills. The majority of iGens had social media accounts before they joined secondary schools. Furthermore, they spend most of their time chatting, streaming videos, texting or playing online games. This kind of life style subjects these kids to severe mental problems and deprives them of a chance to develop social behaviors.
Opponents of the internet-exposure to children argue that technology contributes to kids developing idealistic expectations regarding appearances and happiness. In the past, teenagers interacted with one another leading to them acquiring mutual respect. It was difficult to report cases of body-shaming or bullying amid the youths. Today, the internet plays significant role in shaping opinions regarding beauty amid girls. Many young ladies spend a lot of time on social sites viewing images of celebrities that they regard as stunning and strive to improve their appearances to conform to established standards. Failure to achieve this objective results in many girls developing low self-esteem. In fact, the internet, and particularly social media has led to the increase in social anguish amid girls (Twenge 2017). The development of low self-worth is forcing many girls to adopt unconventional behaviors as they try to fit into society. For instance, some girls have resorted to indecent dressing as a way to appease their peers and confirm to what is currently regarded as fashionable.
Poor Parenting
In the past, parents endeavored to instill social skills in their kids by assigning them household duties. For instance, older girls were responsible for preparing family meals and looking after their siblings. Today, most parents focus on priorities that promote selfishness amid children. According to Turner (2018) many parents want their kids to excel in sports or academics and forget to improve their social capacities. Such goals are not bad; nonetheless they do not inspire a culture of responsibility in children. Today, many kids do not exhibit a sense of belonging to a given family because they contribute little to the activities of their households. One or two decades ago, parents allowed children to cook or partake in domestic chores, thereby making them become responsible and conscious of the needs of their relatives (Turner 2018). Individuals who help their family members to meet specific needs understand how satisfying it is to see one’s siblings happy. However, contemporary parents have denied their kids this joy by not allowing them to help in domestic duties. Eventually, it has become hard for modern teens to be their brothers or sisters’ keeper because they have not developed a sense of responsibility.
Recent studies have investigated the impact of parenting style on child behavior. Scholars agree that primary caregivers, who are in most cases the parents, have significant influence on the growth of their kids’ current and future emotional wellbeing (Howenstein et al. 2015). Additionally, a child’s behaviors are pegged not only on the upbringing but also the environment in which it is raised. Three parenting styles that influence kids’ behaviors are authoritarian, authoritative and permissive. As per Howenstein et al. (2015), severe punishment, orders and shouting characterize authoritarian mode of parenting. An authoritarian parent does not interact with his or her kids freely; hence there is no communication among them. The parent is responsible for setting guidelines that a child must strictly obey, failure to which there are consequences. This form of parenting leads to kids becoming introverted and cynical.
Authoritative parenting entails developing cordial relationship between a child and parents, but at the same time, maintaining stringent power over its behaviors. An authoritative parent is viewed as reasonable and one who promotes child’s freedom (Howenstein et al. 2015). In spite of such a mother/father being strict, they encourage communication with their kids and support them emotionally. Children with this parenting background exhibit conventional social behaviors and are likely to interact with others and do well academically. The lack of control and strong affection characterize permissive parenting style. Parents who embrace this mode of childcare do not reprimand their kids whenever they are wrong. Children view parents as resources or means to their happiness (Howenstein et al. 2015). Kids from permissive families are egotistical and exhibit anger-management challenges. Moreover, they are likely to indulge in drugs, tobacco, alcohol and other substance abuse at an early age.
Contemporary parents are abandoning customary ways of raising children that involve setting rules, scolding and denying kids some privileges for their own good. Indeed, the majority of modern parents are embracing permissive mode of childcare where they tolerate an array of behaviors and are less strict. Howenstein et al. (2015) state that today, parents play limited role in molding the character of their children and they hardly punish them when they are wrong. A study conducted on the correlation between child behavior and dental health highlighted a disturbing nature of the modern-day kids’ dispositions. The research found that failure by parents to set limits and influence their kids’ behaviors results in dentists encountering challenges when dealing with children. As more families continue to embrace permissive style of parenting, it is becoming difficult for dentists to handle kids. In the past, children were able to not only relate to strangers but also cope with pain and cooperate with adults. The current cohort of children trembles at the slightest thought of being hurt. Additionally, permissive parents endeavor to please their kids, hence going to the extent of using bribes to make them happy. It underscores the reason most teens misbehave because they do not expect their parents to reprimand or punish them.
Giving children excessive freedom is contributing to some indulging in activities that subject them to great danger. Studies show that kids with permissive parents are at a risk of eating unhealthy foods as their parents cannot prevent them (Howenstein et al. 2015). Moreover, they are at liberty to practice or not to observe oral hygiene like brushing their teeth. This behavior does not only apply to wellbeing but also social life. Today, most children from permissive households are undisciplined and do not respect their elders. Moreover, they are susceptible to getting involved in illicit behaviors like drug and substance abuse because they do not fear their parents.
Lack of Socialization
Twenty to thirty years back, children were free to wander in the neighborhood and play with their peers. It enabled them to acquire social skills and resolve minor problems without having to depend on their parents. Today, kids are under the supervision of their parents or guardians at all time. This culture makes it difficult for children to nurture behaviors that allow them to manage their time and decide on the kind of games to play. The lack of freedom among kids is hindering their capacity to develop self-confidence. Turner (2018) argues that today’s children are afraid of taking minor risks, thereby lacking innovation. Moreover, they are reluctant to dealing with disagreements that arise among themselves. Scientists cite playing as an essential part of a child’s life, as it enables kids to acquire emotional and social skills. The lack of interaction between children is leading to the rise of an egotistical generation that is intolerant and devoid of self-regulation. In addition, overdependence on parents or guardians has led to most kids becoming lazy. Indeed, it is not hard to find youths or even young adults who have challenges in managing their time in colleges as they are used to receiving instructions from parents.
Conclusion
The behaviors of contemporary kids are worse than they used to be two to three decades ago. Failure to socialize, influence of electronic media and poor upbringing are some of the factors that have contributed to this challenge. The exposure to the internet has led to some girls developing low self-esteem and changing their dressing code in an effort to emulate celebrities and conform to modern standards. On the other hand, according children a lot of freedom and failure to reprimand them when they are wrong have resulted in some kids developing risky behaviors. Studies have shown that youths with permissive parents are not scared of indulging in perilous activities like drug abuse because they are not punished. Contemporary kids do not interact with their peers and are hesitant to taking risks. Consequently, they are unable to resolve minor disputes or make decisions without consulting their parents or guardians, therefore not being independent.
References
Divecha, D 2017,How teens today are different from past generations, Web.
Howenstein, J, Kumar, A, Casamassimo, PS, McTigue, D, Coury, D & Yin, H 2015, ‘Correlating parenting styles with child behavior and caries,’ Pediatric Dentistry, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 59-64.
Mcginn, D 2018, Why kids’ behaviour maybe worse than ever – and how to fix it, Web.
Turner, C 2018, Why children aren’t behaving, and what you can do about it, Web.
Twenge, JM 2017, IGen: why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy–and completely unprepared for adulthood–and what that means for the rest of us, Atria Books, New York.