36 Moments From Childhood That Seemed Harmless But Were Actually Pretty Extreme

To absolutely no one’s surprise, today’s selection is filled with stories about internet dangers. From girls meeting their online boyfriends to the use of the infamous Omegle (RIP, please stay away), the internet has long been a scary place for kids. Nowadays, it’s arguably even worse, given that nearly everyone has an iPhone or iPad in their hands, with TikTok just a tap away.

Researchers in the U.K. have recently conducted a study noting a 34% increase in cases of online grooming involving children. Considering that most kids today have smartphones, and with the rise of AI, this isn’t all that surprising. According to experts, one of the best ways to fight this issue is through active supervision, including enabling parental controls on all of a child’s devices.

As much as any parent or guardian may want to keep their children safe by taking every possible precaution, it’s not always realistic, after all, kids will be kids. Their natural curiosity will peak, and they’ll want to explore their surroundings. According to pediatricians, this is actually healthy, since it helps develop both mental awareness and physical coordination.

However, like anything else, it’s always safer when that exploration is supervised, or at least within a safe distance. That said, many of these stories took place a long time ago, and studies show that a third of children no longer play outside after school. This is partly due to parental safety concerns, increased traffic, and, of course, the fact that screen time keeps kids indoors.

This issue, while arguably scarier today due to concerns about street safety, is not exclusive to modern times. Even without a digital component, experts note that the 1970s were actually the decade when there were the most outside dangers carried out by humans, affecting people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. At the time, nearly every child played outside.

Perhaps due to more awareness, more supervision, or simply more cautious parenting, the risk of physical danger is lower today than it was in the 1970s. The challenges children face now are more likely tied to the digital world, such as scams, social media dependence, and cyber exploitation, which can lead to a wide range of developmental and psychological issues.

But what exactly leads kids to be so reckless in their behavior? An adult would never climb electricity pylons for fun or wander into the woods alone with a machete for no reason. According to psychologists, the explanation is just science. Generally speaking, children have areas of the brain that are still underdeveloped, one of the most important being the prefrontal cortex.

So, what is the prefrontal cortex? It’s the part of the brain responsible for impulse control, decision-making, and risk assessment. As we grow, we develop the ability to know danger in our daily lives and feel fear based on our surroundings. In children, however, the prefrontal cortex isn’t nearly as developed, which means they don’t process danger or fear in the same way adults do.

As adults, all of these people are now sharing their experiences of being irresponsible kids (or just being kids), often while unsupervised, so it’s clear they’ve since come to understand the danger of their actions. It really goes to show how much we change over time, and how the world around us shapes our decisions and behavior as humans. Quite a concept to wrap your head around.

With all of that in mind, and after hearing so many wacky and downright terrifying stories, do you have any of your own to share? Maybe it was the time you thought it’d be a great idea to jump over a neighbor’s wall and ended up breaking your arm, or when you decided to explore your town at night with your same-age cousin. Let us know in the comments below!