Toxic childhood - means that rapid technological change and cultural changes have
damaged children's health, emotional and psychological development
Child centeredness - means that the child becomes making in the family
Information hierarchy - means a division between those who can access information and
those that can't. Prior to the invention of the invention of the internet this was much more
pronounced
Disappearing childhood thesis:Neil Postman
Childhood as we know it is disappearing at a rapid rate due to the collapse of the information
hierarchy
Evidence - growth of technology gives children much more access to information and ways
to participate in the adult world, children given the same rights as adults
Evaluation - Opie - childhood is not disappearing but changing. There is still evidence of a
seperate children's culture of unsupervised games, rhymes and songs
Toxic childhood thesis:Sue Palmer
Childhood has become damaging to the physical, psychological and emotional health of
young people. There is evidenced by the: increase in ADHD, increase in substance abuse
and self-abuse harm
Why - according to Palmer the trend to 'toxic childhood' is the result: Unhealthy food, a lack
of play in natural surroundings, poor sleep patterns
Evaluation - ethnocentric - only looks at western ideas of childhood and cannot be applied to
many developing nations
Universal childhood:
West - Western notion of childhood is spreading around the world
Evidence - Campaigns for universal education, charities focused on helping street children
and preventing child labour, Globalised TV and media
New Sociology of Childhood:
Current studies of childhood have been outside looking in and rarely include children in their
data collect
Children are active agents playing a major part in creating their own childhoods. By using
unstructured interviews to allow children to express their views. This approach is favoured by
child liberationists
damaged children's health, emotional and psychological development
Child centeredness - means that the child becomes making in the family
Information hierarchy - means a division between those who can access information and
those that can't. Prior to the invention of the invention of the internet this was much more
pronounced
Disappearing childhood thesis:Neil Postman
Childhood as we know it is disappearing at a rapid rate due to the collapse of the information
hierarchy
Evidence - growth of technology gives children much more access to information and ways
to participate in the adult world, children given the same rights as adults
Evaluation - Opie - childhood is not disappearing but changing. There is still evidence of a
seperate children's culture of unsupervised games, rhymes and songs
Toxic childhood thesis:Sue Palmer
Childhood has become damaging to the physical, psychological and emotional health of
young people. There is evidenced by the: increase in ADHD, increase in substance abuse
and self-abuse harm
Why - according to Palmer the trend to 'toxic childhood' is the result: Unhealthy food, a lack
of play in natural surroundings, poor sleep patterns
Evaluation - ethnocentric - only looks at western ideas of childhood and cannot be applied to
many developing nations
Universal childhood:
West - Western notion of childhood is spreading around the world
Evidence - Campaigns for universal education, charities focused on helping street children
and preventing child labour, Globalised TV and media
New Sociology of Childhood:
Current studies of childhood have been outside looking in and rarely include children in their
data collect
Children are active agents playing a major part in creating their own childhoods. By using
unstructured interviews to allow children to express their views. This approach is favoured by
child liberationists
