We have not passed
that subtle line
between childhood and adulthood
until we move
from the passive voice
to the active voice;
that is,
until we have stopped saying 'It got lost,'
and say, 'I lost it.'
- Sydney J. Harris

Are today's kids less mature than those in the past?

The maturity is based on responsibility and commitment and ability to make decisions and on other factors as well. Thus, there is an issue of location. Children in Israel are obviously more mature than those in other countries.

Perhaps before the Industrial Revolution at the end of the 1800s, children had a need to be more mature. Today's children don't have to be mature so they can take their time of being children.

Granted, they may do things that adults would do and they may like to emulate adults or to show that they are big. But being big and doing certain things that adults do without taking responsibility is certainly not being mature.

There's not much of a difference between immaturity and selective maturity.

To some degree maturity can be taught. Today's parents often don't have time to teach many things and they are often not around enough to be able to give a personal example of maturity. As a result they may not be as mature as those in previous generations.

Some people may point to the knowledge that children have in certain areas such as computers and show that this is greater than in previous generations. I grant you of course this is true. However, knowledge is ??. It is certainly not a way of measuring maturity.

Furthermore, national and international surveys show that the level of knowledge is not necessarily a precis. If I increase my knowledge in a specific areas.

In any event this certainly does not reflect maturity.

Should maturity be taught? This is questionable. Perhaps it might be a good idea to let children be children and to mature at their own rate. It is questionable whether anything is to be gained by rushing the children's maturity. So perhaps the lower level of maturity in today's generation is actually an advantage in the long run, at least in this way. ******

There is evidence that children are more mature in some (negative) ways, as a result of the influence of television nd the media. There is no reason for us to be proud of this development. On the other hand, thre is evidence that today's children are less able to cope with the world in a mature manner.

In the past, with a more modest approach to life, the situation was reversed. Children learned to be self-sufficient, but they did not learn about "adult" topics.

Is this progress? People may argue, but most of the readers of this Jewish website would probably agree that we are regressing.