After the election of President Drumpf, millions of Americans of all demographics have loudly voiced their opinions on his policies and administration. Some of the shrillest of these voices have belonged to pint-sized owners: elementary school children.
Kids were bound to take notice of a Presidential campaign that seemed to drag on forever, and have a new horrific headline every morning. They were even bound to follow along as the leader of their country for the next four years was determined. But a trend of political interest decreasing with age has shocked many, and has consequences that are dangerous for a youngster’s ability to form their own opinions by the time they can vote.
Political views are often formulated after discussion with parents, or the imposition of parent’s values onto their children.While a study by the American Sociological Review reports that more than half of teenagers disagree with their parent’s political views, elementary school children are far more impressionable and dependent on their parents. They rely on parents for care and attention, and are much more likely to regurgitate a parent’s political stance, as that is the only stance they are familiar with. Expressing political opinions at a young age shapes a child’s perspective of issues that are very rarely black and white, right or wrong. If a child develops a certain political mindset in their youth, it could prevent them from fully understanding the whole scope of issues that they have been taught to disagree with, that they may otherwise have agreed with when they are able to vote.
The confusion on certain issues, or a possible negligence in learning the policies of a candidate that at first appear unsavory, often stem from forming a political opinion too early. As a child, it is easy to assume that one argument is the right one without reading the counter argument. However, to be well-informed on an issue it is necessary to have read a variety of sources detailing it and discussing its pros and cons from different points of view. Without trying to first remove personal bias when learning about an issue, children are at risk of retaining an uninformed view. While a small population of children might have the wherewithal to learn a lot about a topic before forming an opinion, most are easy to persuade with striking claims that do not necessarily encompass the whole truth. For instance, if a child read that allocating funds to the military would put an end to terrorism once and for all, they might find themselves supporting an increased military budget without even considering the possibility that the funds might be taken away from national support of the arts, music, and other programs necessary for development and creativity. Formulating these uninformed opinions limits a child’s ability to be a productive and conscientious member of society as they reach voting age, and could result in policies that harm a large number of people being supported widely.
While it is important to understand what is going on in the country and what the future might hold, becoming too involved or too opinionated at an early age poses dangers to children, and the future collective good of the country.