Is society becoming more hostile to children?

[MsFrumble]

Why does society feel like it’s becoming increasingly hostile to children? And why is voicing anti-child views or politics becoming more acceptable—or is it not, and there’s just a lot of online noise about it?

I’m not talking about choosing not to have children, that is obviously fine and good.
But there does seem to be a growing tendency to feel it is okay to openly describe children as at best an inconvenience and at worst a blight; to argue they should be excluded from public spaces unless they behave like adults or are tightly controlled; and to view children as “adults in training” rather than as distinct individuals with their own needs and rights.

Children are a highly vulnerable group, with no power and distinct rights in law—the right to play, education, protection, and so on. We were all once children, and unless you take a fairly nihilistic view, most people would agree that how we treat them matters because they are the future.

The material reality / politics around supporting kids is also quite grim: exorbitant nursery fees, schools under pressure, health visiting and early years support underfunded, maternity care in crisis, a lack of youth services like centres for teenagers etc etc

So why does society feel so anti kid?

Genuinely yes! Not necessarily on here, but definitely on other platforms where people are calling for “adult only” transport. I’ve seen people write “if parents can’t keep their ‘crotch goblins’ quiet then they shouldn’t take them out in public” 🙄. We didn’t take our DD on a plane until she was 3 because we’re terrified of her crying and upsetting others.

Why do parents need “help” to parent their kids?
They chose to have them and they need to stop bringing their “friend” and say No! once in a blue moon.

Its not rocket science.

A lot of the things that I find slightly annoying are not naughty or bad behaviour, more that people (mostly adults) not really noticing that their or their child's behaviour will impact anyone else.

Eg adults or children watching clips/shows on a screen without headphones, in a restaurant, or on public transport. Its not bad behaviour per se, just fairly inconsiderate. When I was a kid in the 1980s/90s when we went to the beach my dad would have us walk for (what felt like ) miles to be away from stereos or ghetto blasters! But there weren't all that many of them. Now half the carriage in the train, adults mostly) is subjecting others to their choice of music/scrolling/film

Or people who are letting children scoot in the supermarket or on really crowded pavements. A child riding a bike is a scooter is not badly behaved, or naughty at all, but the seeming oblivion from parents that there are even other people using that space. Their child is potentially about to ram into someone's shins, or bump into someone and cause themself injury!

I remember a thread on here where a woman said she witnessed a mother letting her child wee into a bottle during a theatre show. Plenty of people thought it was fine as “he’s only young” etc. So many excuses that maybe he couldn’t wait. Maybe he had a disability. Then they were slagging off theatres blaming them that they don’t let you back in if you go out for loo etc. (Thankfully plenty of people also disagreed with it as well so there are normal people out there). Again it’s not the child’s fault in this situation. But would it upset/disgust people around them? Most likely yes!

But is this new? The watching clips in a restaurant with no headphones couldn’t happen in the past because the technology didn’t exist.

I remember being a kid and the naughty kids all had obnoxious assy parents who enabled everything they did and argued on their behalf every single time even when they were obviously in the wrong. Or as I say let their demon spawn out to set fire to bins and throw stones at cars off bridges. don’t see how it’s a new thing. I mean personally I’m only in my twenties but I know people in their 60s who talk about how they did things like throwing stones off bridges as children. etc

Society became anti-children when parents stopped parenting properly.
The behaviour of children in public spaces is getting worse.

I'm not sure whether behaviour is worse or it is more noticeable as children were never allowed in certain spaces like they are now. No kids in pubs when I was a kid (as it should be IMO). Hardly anyone could afford to fly regularly so bad behaviour on planes wasn't a thing. Going to restaurants was a rare treat. So many things that people see as normal now were the preserve of the well-off when I was a kid.

Im a Christian so this is my interpretation. A growing number of A-listers (and ordinary people) are actively choosing to withhold massive inheritances or industry handouts. Instead, these stars—ranging from billionaire tech moguls to rock legends—force their children to start from the bottom, work "normal" jobs, and carve out independent careers to avoid the "trust-fund kid" trap. The Bible encourages parents to provide for their children and leave a generational legacy. While exact financial instructions are broad, scriptures highlight the importance of careful stewardship, passing down moral and spiritual values, and ensuring your family is properly cared for. In 2 Timothy 3:1-3, the Apostle Paul warns Timothy about the moral decline expected in the "last days". The phrase "without natural affection" translates the Greek word astorgos, which signifies being callous, heartless, and completely lacking the instinctive, natural love family members should naturally have for one another. It seems this is currently happening in our society, parents and adults are withholding from their children which goes against natural affection. The prevalence of people attracted to children is not considered to be on the rise, but the volume of recorded child sexual abuse offenses and material is. This increase is overwhelmingly driven by the internet, artificial intelligence, and private messaging apps, which make it easier for offenders to access, share, and commit abuse anonymously. I believe we are going towards a very dark time in history in regard to how we treat children. That’s without getting into the sterilisation of “trans” kids but I won’t even go there today.

That’s without getting into the sterilisation of “trans” kids but I won’t even go there today.

Well, we can be thankful for small mercies.

Because a lot of children are badly behaved and are allowed to rule the roost at home. They've never been told no and can't handle it when they are.