The World From YA Eyes #2 - Hidden Away?

The World from YA Eyes is posted fortnightly and discusses the latest world-issues threatening to change our world into one we would find in a Dystopia novel.

 

I'm one of these people that likes to know what is going on in the world. I like the know what's happening, who it's going to effect and why. I don't like to be hidden-away from that 'reality' and that it is a choice I make personally. I read the articles that appear on the internet, I listen to the hourly news that is live on the radio, I watch the television when I know the news report is on. There are constantly discussions over how much we should be able to see and whether certain things should be kept away from young people to protect them. It took a lot to resist the urge to put inverted comma's around protect, because is that what hiding us away will do? Keep us safe? At one point we have to go out and face the world. At one point school will end, and we will have to leave home and start discovering things for ourselves. If we don't know what can happen in society, It will surely be harder to navigate?

 

My parents did avoid watching the news when I was around when I was younger - it's only been during the last one or two years that I've really decided to take an interest in what's going on. I agree that this was the right choice: let children enjoy the mind-set they are in. Let them enjoy having an imagination, let them enjoy the world they are comfortable in. It's only as you get older you begin to want to know and when that happens, I think it's only the right choice to allow us to see what we want to. Of course, there are always limitations. If it's going to effect someone that clearly doesn't have the maturity to deal with the problems in this world, or that it is brutal and is still for older audiences: it needs to be explained in a way suitable to the person.

 

At fourteen, most people can decide what they want to see and what they don't. I feel like I'm much more mature than others around me so, am able to judge what I can handle. The thing is, when discussing hiding things away from children, you have to realise they can go and search for the information elsewhere. You can turn off the News Reports or tell us to go and do homework while you watch it: you can turn down the radio when you know a certain story is going to be mentioned, but we will only go and search the internet. We will only go and ask a friend. News is out-there for everyone to see. Even if you don't go looking for it, it soon finds you!

 

Of course, young children shouldn't be exposed to most of the events that take place: murders, wars, natural disasters, they are all hard to contemplate. If you are a child and seeing footage, only able to understand snippets, it is frightening. It's not right though, to deny a slightly older and maturing young person information they want. If they want to know what is happening, want to be able to understand and try to grasp the world they must grow to be a part of, information needs to be giving. Stopping young people seeing or reading the News is never going to be able to happen, nor should it. Not letting us have the information we need is like locking us away. Even if children don't ask, sometimes they need to be explained in a way they will understand. At a certain age, you need to begin preparing for the world you will have to walk on your own - imagine relying on what you think happens. Imagine relying on your own image of the world - possibly a perfect one.

 

This is why information needs to be shared. This is why despite they're sometimes being too much shown and shared, it still needs to be there. One day, people may just begin to notice how much of it shouldn't be happening and decide to make a difference. Narnia, The Mortal Institute and Hogwarts should be hidden, though!

 

What do you think? Do you believe there is a certain age when you should start getting answers to your questions? Do you like knowing what's going on in the world you have to live in? Just comment your opinion below!