Eccentric People

When do you think children tend to lose their innocence in the eyes of society?

When we look at a five year old, innocence, is often times one of the first thing that comes to our mind. Now if we looked at the same child ten years down the road, the thought of innocence is probably further buried in the back of our minds. So my question is, when do you think children start to lose their innocence not so much from a personal perspective, but a social one? Have I lost anyone?

Public Comments

1. like at 11 years old!
2. Around their high school age....they tend to think they know everything, and they think they're better then everyone else...
3. Once they discover sex.
4. Puberty Adolescence
5. I think it is when they reach the pre-teen age 11+.
6. I get what you mean - I think it happens during their first year at school, although it is very subtle. During their first year at school, young children somehow know the class "hierarchy" - the big boy gets all the candy, whilst the quiet one's remain unfed. As the years pass by, this hierarchy becomes more and more obvious. When an innocent child see's the bad boy getting all the attention, what does he/she do? When an innocent child is yet to be noticed, what does he/she do? When an innocent child is not commended, what does he/she do? For all these, they must copy the bully. I wouldn't call it as society looking at 10-year olds differently. I call it a social error. For some reason, many people tend to view the first year as "unimportant". The first year is crucial. In fact, it is the most important year: you learn the foundations of English and Maths (ABC and Numbers), you are given rewards to behave well and you are taught how to share and use things efficiently.