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In an interview with Bored Panda, the user who started the thread, Ron, shared that he often finds himself reminiscing about his childhood in the ‘70s and noticing how drastically things have changed. “The carefree and adventurous spirit of those days seems so distant now, and I was curious to see if others shared similar memories,” he said, explaining the reason behind the question posed to the online community.
“I wanted to spark a conversation about the stark contrast between the freedom we had as kids and the more cautious approach to parenting today.”
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The freedom kids have, or used to have, allows them to explore the unknown, which, according to Dr. Julie Braungart-Rieker, is an important part of kids’ development.
“There is an interesting balance between fear and excitement when it comes to facing something new or challenging. When children encounter something novel that they haven’t seen or done before—stumble upon a squiggly salamander in the mud, for example—they can feel a little unsure about this creature and they can be curious about it: ‘What is it? Can I catch it and hold it? Will it hurt me?’ So they might be drawn to something like this because it’s exciting,” she explained.
“Being curious about new situations like this one is very instinctual and promotes learning in children. Learning by interacting with the environment directly is a great way for kids to figure things out. In this example, they might learn that this salamander is squirmy, slimy, colorful, muddy, doesn’t bite, and is really fast despite its small size when it runs away. If a child was told the characteristics of a salamander by someone else, like a parent or a teacher, or saw it in a video, they just wouldn’t experience the same excitement because children aren’t interacting directly with the novel creature.”
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The redditor said he was pleasantly surprised by the variety and depth of the responses. “It was incredible to see how many people had similar experiences and memories.”
But what surprised him the most was the universal nature of some of the activities, like playing outside unsupervised for hours, riding bikes without helmets, or engaging in risky games. “It highlighted how much childhood norms have shifted over the decades,” he said, adding that he was struck by some of the more extreme examples of freedom and risk-taking that people shared, which would be unthinkable today.
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Discussing the activities of today’s children, Dr. Braungart-Rieker also suggested that it does seem that children get less opportunity to explore on their own currently than in the past.
“To my knowledge, we don’t have any solid data or research to show this is the case, but it’s easier to keep track of children now with technology than it was in the past, as now we have cameras, apps on phones, and similar means,” she said. “News about terrible things happening to children is also more readily available now which can fuel parents’ fear and anxiety that something bad will happen to their children.”
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Even though nowadays making sure that children are safe is arguably easier than it was back in the day, the expert recommended trying to find a balance between that and allowing children to explore on their own (in an environment that is likely to be very safe).
“Getting dirty, falling down, picking up gross things in the mud might be messy but they can be fun to children and it allows them to learn about the world and themselves. If nature and other areas of novelty are not readily accessible to families, they might think about bringing something home that is unusual and even messy to allow their children to explore it and learn more about it.
“Even something as simple as baking something new gives kids an opportunity to get into the ingredients, feel them, measure or weigh them, and mix things which can get messy, stick whatever they made in the oven and see what happens to this mixture after baking,” she added. “That can be exciting to kids because they interact with the ingredients and create something new from them. Parents can be there to assist and watch their kids have fun with this situation.”
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The OP seconded the idea that part of the reason for change between childhood then vs childhood now is parents’ sense of safety and the use of technology.
“The biggest change, in my opinion, is the level of parental supervision and the general sense of safety and freedom. When I was a child, it was normal for kids to roam the neighborhood, explore, and find their own fun without constant adult oversight. Today, there’s a much stronger focus on safety and structured activities,” Ron said.
“Technology has also significantly changed childhood, with kids spending more time indoors on screens rather than playing outside. Additionally, societal attitudes toward parenting and child safety have become much more cautious, influenced by a heightened awareness of potential dangers.”
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“Parents naturally want to protect their children, which is a good instinct. But there’s a balance between allowing your child to explore new situations while keeping them safe,” Prof. Braungart-Rieker emphasized. “Obviously, if a small child were to approach something dangerous like the edge of a raging river, the parent would want to make sure that any exploration would be done in a safe way: ‘Don’t get in that river because the rapids are too fast right now but what else could we explore? Maybe there’s a salamander under a rock near the river?’”