Is it more dangerous for kids now than it used to be?

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johnnydawg68

johnnydawg68

Chairperson, People's Front of Saint Domingo
It's a question that has been on my mind for a while. At least in this country, it seems parents are much more protective of kids in terms of not ever allowing them to be unsupervised outside the house. Many kids are really scheduled to death these days.

When I was a nipper in the 70's, in the summer I'd leave the house first thing in the morning and sometimes wouldn't come home until dinner. Me and my friends would play baseball all day, or ride our bikes, or just come up with stuff to do. It was completely free, unsupervised play time.

So I have two questions:

1) Are kids REALLY in more danger than we were (if you are of a similar age or older)? Or is it just that our perception of danger is more acute due to improved communications and wider publication of tragic incidents?

2) Does this lack of freedom and unsupervised play time for kids harm their emotional development in any way?
 

1. A bit of yes and yes really, they are certainly under more danger from other kids, kids that have played shoot'em'up games and games with violence, kids that view hardcore porn and have become desensitised to the point that they think that it is normal to behave like that. Kids with parents that are also feral and wouldn't do anything whatsoever to them if they caught them/ found out. My daughter (10) was out on an 'arl bmx the other day and some kid in the year above started giving her grief, "look at you with your flashy bike, you think your it you f'in lesbo, maybe I'll take it off you and kick your teeth in etc etc etc." she cam,e straight home terrified.

2. well it means that in this country they sit watching shoite u.s. tv progs on sky/cable and develop teen attitudes at an early age and don't see anything wrong in that, I think that if they used actors that were a bit closer to the age of the parts they play it might help a bit, having a busty 22y.o. playing the part of a 15 y.o. doesn't really seem right tbh.

In 1984 they said that Orwell was pretty close with a lot of his predictions, big brother etc. Has anyone predicted in advance the way the world is today ?
 
This sort of answers #2, but it's been proven that kids that don't play outside that much develop more allergies to things when a kid that plays outside a lot won't develop many allergies.

Cell phones and texting have let parents keep track of where their kids are. When I go out with friends, I just have to text my mom or dad and tell them where I'm going. For younger kids without cell phones, I can definetely see parents being overprotective.
 
A lot of depends on where your from and what your parents are like..
If your from a rough area and your parents don't care then most kids haven't got a chance.
 

Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian said:
1. A bit of yes and yes really, they are certainly under more danger from other kids, kids that have played shoot'em'up games and games with violence, kids that view hardcore porn and have become desensitised to the point that they think that it is normal to behave like that. Kids with parents that are also feral and wouldn't do anything whatsoever to them if they caught them/ found out. My daughter (10) was out on an 'arl bmx the other day and some kid in the year above started giving her grief, "look at you with your flashy bike, you think your it you f'in lesbo, maybe I'll take it off you and kick your teeth in etc etc etc." she cam,e straight home terrified.

2. well it means that in this country they sit watching shoite u.s. tv progs on sky/cable and develop teen attitudes at an early age and don't see anything wrong in that, I think that if they used actors that were a bit closer to the age of the parts they play it might help a bit, having a busty 22y.o. playing the part of a 15 y.o. doesn't really seem right tbh.

In 1984 they said that Orwell was pretty close with a lot of his predictions, big brother etc. Has anyone predicted in advance the way the world is today ?
Click to expand...

Was thinking more about abduction and danger from adults.
 
spikeman said:
This sort of answers #2, but it's been proven that kids that don't play outside that much develop more allergies to things when a kid that plays outside a lot won't develop many allergies.

Cell phones and texting have let parents keep track of where their kids are. When I go out with friends, I just have to text my mom or dad and tell them where I'm going. For younger kids without cell phones, I can definetely see parents being overprotective.
Click to expand...

Ok, spike. So when you were say 6-10 years old, did your parents allow you to just leave the house and go do whatever? Mine did. But it's sort of inconceivable that parents these days would allow that. The statistics show that kids aren't in any more danger than they were in 1970, so what changed and when?
 
I'm not sure really, most of the notorious serial killers, certainly the ones that first spring to mind, are from decades ago. That's not to say things are better now, but I'm sure the advent of 24 hour news has something to do with the apparent dangers we feel in the present day.
 

Wrathchild said:
I'm not sure really, most of the notorious serial killers, certainly the ones that first spring to mind, are from decades ago. That's not to say things are better now, but I'm sure the advent of 24 hour news has something to do with the apparent dangers we feel in the present day.
Click to expand...

My point.
 

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