The document discusses causes of early childhood maturation. It argues that overwhelming modern influences from increased media exposure and social pressures, greater access to information from advanced technology, and changes in social norms all contribute to children maturing faster than previous generations. Modern influences like reality TV and social media expose children to adult behaviors from a young age. Kids also face peer pressure to make mature decisions regarding relationships and other topics earlier. Today's children have nearly unlimited access to information through ubiquitous internet and mobile devices. Finally, shifts like greater emphasis on education and independence have broken down social barriers that once slowed childhood development.

1. Name :
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Id :………………………….
Module : English 1
[Session] August, 2014
Question Number : ……………..

2. Prewriting: Clustering
Causes of early
childhood
maturation
Topic Sentence 2
Increased access
to information
General
Statement
- Information is
almost too easily
perused.
Specific Statements
-The Internet is
accesible to anyone
with a computer.
- The average kid
spends 75 hours a
week on media.
- Books are more
readily available due
to advances like the
modernised printing
press
Topic Sentence 1
Overwhelming
modern influences
General
statement
-Increasingly,
children are
exposed to
maturity through
social interaction
and observation
of influences
Specific
Statements
- Kids watch the
behaviour of
personalities their
age such as Justin
Bieber, and emulate.
- Mass media
pressurises children
to think as adults, as
in the case of reality
television shows like
Gossip Girls
- Peer pressure and
peer emulation force
children to make
decisions on mature
topics like love
earlier on, as early
as the age of 12
now.
Topic Sentence 3
Certain social
norms have
broken down.
General
Statement
- The current
generation has
been allowed
unstifled
development
unknown to
previous
generations
Specific
Statements
- In Chinese culture,
the young weren't
encouraged to
express opinions
- Schooling children
has become a
cultural norm in
developed regions,
as in America
- Children are
encouraged to take
initiative/be
independent in
making
friends/studying, etc.

3. The Premature Child
In the year 1939, newspapers were abuzz with news that a girl, Lina Medina
had given birth to a baby boy, at the age of seven. Although until today no case of
pubescent precocity compares to the aforementioned case, the equally extraordinary
condition of mental precocity is something prevailing in the younger generation
(Abbs et al., 2011). You see children the age of 10, seeming to wield the mind of a
17 year old, and pre-teenagers making decisions one only made at the age of 20 in
decades past. As strange as it is, this phenomenon must be understood so that we
may approach it the best we can. This essay postulates that the causes of early
mental maturation in children includes the overwhelming modern influences upon
children, the increased access to information modern children have, and the
differences in socio-cultural norms in present times.
Firstly, we see that overwhelming modern influences are causing children to
mature earlier than previously seen. These modern influences can be interpreted as
many things, be it mass media, social interaction, or anything of the like. Mass media
is inescapable these days, and is unquestionably a huge influence upon children, as
it is seen that children consume an average of 8 hours of media a day (Gutnick,
Robb, Takeuchi, & Kotler, 2011). As examples, you see teenagers aged 15
emulating young personalities seen on TV, like Justin Bieber. Social interaction also
plays its role, as teens as young as 15 are forced to make decisions which require
good measures of maturity. This phenomena is known as peer pressure, and
manifests itself in many ways, such as in puppy love, abstinence, drug consumption,
and the like. These forced decisions do require for children and teenagers to mature
earlier (Oswalt, 2008).

4. A second factor which contributes to this, is the increased access to
information modern children have. Information is almost too easily perused in this
day and age. As children become more susceptible to this information, they become
more and more molded by information. This is exemplified in how easy it is for
children and teenagers to surf the Internet. Statistics from a study conducted in the
year 2013 show that mobile internet access is seen at an alarming 74% among
teens aged 12-17 (Madden, Lenhart, Duggan, Cortesi, & Urs, 2013). This means that
3 out of 4 teens can access any kind of information on the go, using their mobile
devices, like their Iphones, Ipads, laptops, etc. This kind of exposure is bound to
shape and mold a child in a manner unprecedented (Williams, 2014). As a child is
exposed to concepts and information only accessible to adults in previous
generations, it is expected, that he matures in an accelerated manner.
Finally, differences in socio-cultural norms as compared to the past can be
regarded as a major factor in early child maturation. In some ways, certain barriers
have been broken down that has allowed this generation to mature faster than
previous generations. Those barriers existed before, some for good; but now,
upholding those barriers are not seen as an accepted norm. Take for instance, the
norm held in Chinese culture, where children and teenagers were not able to voice
opinions or thoughts publicly (The Economic and Commercial Counsellor's Office of
the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in The United States of America,
2004). In modern days, this norm does not stand, which does bring repercussions to
maturation rates in children, namely, the accelerated maturation of children.
Nowadays, education is seen as a cultural norm, whereas in the past it was not. For
instance, secondary education was not seen as a norm until 1910 in the USA,
because it just was not seen as a necessity (Goldin, 1999). Education is indeed
something which accelerates maturation, and, contributes to the maturity of a child.

5. Another social norm we see in difference with the past, is the independence of
children nowadays. Parents allow, and encourage children to make decisions on
matters like choosing between the Boy Scouts, and the Red Cross Society these
days. Changes like these matter in affecting the rate of maturity in children.
In conclusion, it is ratified that early childhood maturation these days is
caused by factors like the overwhelming modern influences upon children, the
increased access to information modern children have, and the differences in socio-cultural
norms in present times. It cannot be decided, whether this change is
something which should be embraced, or resisted, as it is too early to tell. The only
measure we can take is to ensure that all influences/factors can be monitored and
controlled, in order that the maturation of children is guided towards the right
direction.

6. References
Goldin, C. (1999). 'Human Capital and Social Capital: The Rise of Secondary
Schooling in America, 1910 to 1940.”. Journal of Interdisciplinary History XXIX ,
Spring.
Gutnick, A. L., Robb, M., Takeuchi, L., & Kotler, J. (2011). Always Connected: The
new digital media habits of young children. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center.
Madden, M., Lenhart, A., Duggan, M., Cortesi, S., & Urs, G. (2013, March 13). Teens
and Technology 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from Pew Research Internet
Project: http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/03/13/teens-and-technology-2013/
Oswalt, A. (2008, Aug 10). Teens and Peer Relationships. Retrieved September 18,
2014, from Seven Counties Services, Inc:
http://www.sevencounties.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=41168&cn=1310
The Economic and Commercial Counsellor's Office of the Embassy of the People's
Republic of China in The United States of America. (2004, Nov 9). Chinese customs,
superstitions and traditions. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from The Economic and
Commercial Counsellor's Office of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in
The United States of America:
http://us2.mofcom.gov.cn/article/aboutchina/custom/200411/20041100004548.shtml
Williams, R. (2014, February 6th). Children using social networks underage 'exposes
them to danger'. Retrieved September 19, 2014, from The Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10619007/Children-using-social-networks-
underage-exposes-them-to-danger.html