Children growing up too fast, and being exposed to adult things? Parents or society to blame?

Most parents seem to agree that children are being exposed to things that are inappropriate or beyond their years. Where should we draw the line between society's responisibility, and the parents responsibility?


Eg, do advertisers have a responsibility to censor the marketing of junk food, 'bras' for young girls, etc, properly, or should the parents step in and say ';I don't care if it's out there, my child isn't having it';.


What are your thoughts on this?Children growing up too fast, and being exposed to adult things? Parents or society to blame?
It's parents. When you really break it down, we ARE society. We are the consumers who are buying these products, supporting these television shows and indulging our children's desires for padded bras, violent video games and inappropriate music. If parents simply stood their ground when it came to the morals and values they want to instill in their children, companies would have to find new products and new marketing strategies to reach their customers.





That said, it IS very frustrating to be a parent today because there hasn't been a movement to ';boy cot'; these inappropriate products that are being pushed at our children. We just got rid of our TV (and video games) all together when our kids were born lol...it keeps MOST of the influence out of our home.Children growing up too fast, and being exposed to adult things? Parents or society to blame?
I believe it is the parents' responsibility first and foremost - they are, after all, the ones who created the baby and brought the baby into the world (society did not do that).





Thus I believe it is the parents who have the ultimate authority on what their children are exposed to during their developmental years. As I understand it, it is better to start earlier, than later, when it comes to controlling what sort of things children are exposed to insofar as popular culture goes. Some parents, for example, do not have cable television, or allow their children to listen to contemporary music. Some don't even allow their kids to have Internet access. I am opposed to censorship at society's level; no one has the right to demand what others can or cannot be exposed to. I am fine with parents who actually parent their children rather than let total strangers (society) do it for them.








Those are my thoughts, anyways.
It's definitely the parent's responsibility to step in and say, ';I don't care if it's out there, my kid's not having it!';





I would say TV is the biggest culprit. As much as a person wants their child to stay physically healthy by staying away from other sick people, washing hands, eating fruits %26amp; veggies etc, the same is true for mental and emotional health. Letting kids be exposed to un-supervised media is the same as letting them eat cheetos all day.


There are always going to be naughty kids at school who teach them bad things, but as long as they know that what they learn at home is right, and that mom %26amp; dad hold high moral standards for them, they have a better chance of being good kids.
Society. As much as a parent tries to teach their children right, they will at one point or another be influenced by outside forces.





Even the best children something stray from their upbringing.





But, I definitely think society as a whole makes children turn against what their parents have taught.





There are some bad parents. That's not a question. But, a majority of children are just influenced by the outside world. This influence can be either positive or negative.
I really think it goes both ways. Parents now and will always have a responsibility to keep their kids safe , teach right from wrong etc etc. However in this day and age its sad, to see what has become the norm for kids. It truly scares me because as they get older I know it will be impossible to protect them from everything. Somethings use to be left to the imagination...and its sad that its not anymore not only for children but for all of us.
We are responsible for our children, and part of that is to let advertisers know that you (we) don't appreciate the garbage they're putting out there for our youngins'. Its not blaming them, its doing our part to let them know, as consumers, that they are being inappropriate with their advertising.
personally , and this goes against most doctorines, but if they had a kid in a world that they now find unexceptable , they werent smart enough to have kids in the first place and dont care about the rest of society anyways ... and was it good enough for them? cause its the same talk....
Studies have shown that children even teenagers value their parents opinion most. It's our responsibility first, if we train them well they will be able to steer clear of bad influences. Now my 8 year old can look like she's 20!! Let children be children. There are too many people out there trying to steal that away from them.
Both parties are to blame.





Parents:


for letting society raise their children instead of them.





Society:


For thinking this is a good way of marketing.
i dont think u can alwaysss blame it on the parents because parents arent always going to be with the kids when theyre at school or a friends house
I think it's a mixture of both. Regardless of the millions of brainwashing advertisements aimed towards young people, parents can still take the time to teach their kids to be cautious and aware of these things. Yet sometimes parents DO that and the kids are still exposed to those things. It can also be the individual kids themselves..as you can see, many factors contribute.
My thoughts are that the bulk of the responsibility should be on the parents, to either shield their kids from what they find innapropriate, or when they are ready, to properly teach them about what they do %26amp; will see.





I think that would eventually lead to a change in what companies offer, as they would have to a find different group to market to. Eventually, I think it would change their advertising practices completely.





But it all starts at home. IMO~
I think the majority of the blame should be put on the parents. Just 'cause it's out there doesn't mean it's out there for my child. We need to set the values for our kids and explain the shallowness of what is going on in today's society. i.e. Padded bras for girls in 5th grade? That is not how self confidence is built. Junk food? Make dinner at home and invite some of your kids friends over. TV? Watch with your kids and tell them that is not what real life is like. You can't solve a murder, repair a romance, or find true love in 1 hour.
a little of both but ultimately it is the parents job. i know that you cant be there every second or control everything that your child is subjected to but you can inform them that that isn't normal or acceptable. for example my dear sweet mother likes to say that really good food is ';good sh*t'; we have asked her to watch her language in front of my son but she slips up.well now my 2 year old has decided to start saying that so we just tell him that he cant say that and if he keeps it up he gets time out.
to be its kinda half and half,


Parents are not to blame, if they have tried to teach they're children to stay away from the trash, and they refuse to listen.





i suppose its just society. this generation for some reason revolves around sex/drugs/gangs/ect.


there's alot of messed up people in the world getting kids to do wrong things.


but you just cant help it. never blame yourself if you have tried. Your the good part of the mess