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INPRIMATU
Over-controlled children, over-protected adults
  • Have you bought your child a smart watch to know where he is, or don't leave him alone, out of fear that he won't play responsibly? The Guardian says that the younger generation is the most controlled of all times, and it's not so strange to see adult survivors who are already older.
Mikel Garcia Idiakez @mikelgi 2024ko uztailaren 17a
Adierazi dute Z deituriko belaunaldia dela inoizko monitorizatuena gurasoen aldetik. Argazkia: Freepik

We criticize that children and young people spend a lot of time at home (and on the Internet) and little on the street, but at the same time we restrict their freedoms, limit them and close spaces, said the journalists of the newspaper The Guardian, experts in digital culture. They say that the adults in our childhood were cycling for hours in the neighborhood, but that those adults today put their sons and daughters GPS devices to know where they are, that they put regular controls on them and that they explore the social networks they use, that the generation called Z is the most monitored by parents.

In short, if some devices and technologies have not created the need and addiction of having children permanently monitored.

The fears themselves, the desire to protect children, the lack of confidence, the intention to ensure that they will make the right path… sometimes they lead us to control children too much, and although it is logical and natural to worry about them, excessive control can have apparent negative effects. Experts say that avoiding all frustrations, problems, pains and discomfort will not allow the child to develop strategies to cope with them; moreover, he will not learn to tolerate the bad events of life; nor will we favor self-esteem, trust and security; nor what to say in autonomy and independence, we will become subordinate people.

Supervision, accompaniment, counseling, help, teaching… is OK, but manipulating, deciding for them or not giving them autonomy is not the way, you also have to let them fail, say the experts.

Professor Lagun reports that his mother came the other day to ask the professor to change the grade to the young man who studies at the university.

To the university and the doctor, with the parents

The issue has emerged from our group of friends, and each one has taken examples of overprotected children, which have given an idea of how far it is extended. It is also curious that the examples have not been children, but children who have already (should) reached adulthood. Ms. Lagun says that her mother turned last day to ask the young student at the university to change the grade; the doctor has reported that on more than one occasion she has passed on to younger patients (and not so young) and that the question has been answered by the next parent, to the extent that the question has to be answered by the patient (who is usually quiet and peaceful), not by her parents.

More on the subject: Children too protected. Available to children