Every generation likes to believe they had it tougher growing up, but being a kid in the 2020s comes with challenges that simply didn’t exist 30 years ago.
From the pressures of social media to the stress of an increasingly uncertain world, childhood in 2025 is a completely different experience from the relatively simple lives kids had in the ’80s and ’90s. Sure, technology has made some things easier, but it’s also brought a whole new set of problems that we never could have anticipated when we were younger.
1. Social media has turned childhood into a 24/7 performance.
Just a few decades ago, once you got home from school, the social world stopped until the next day. Now, thanks to social media, kids are constantly “on,” curating their lives for an audience, worrying about likes, and feeling the pressure to present a perfect version of themselves. Every outfit, every friendship, and every moment is documented, analysed, and sometimes judged. There’s no escape from the social pressures of school because they follow kids home through Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. It’s no longer just about having fun; it’s about looking like you’re having fun, and that’s exhausting.
2. The comparison culture is relentless.
Before the internet, kids compared themselves to the people around them — classmates, neighbours, and maybe a few celebrities they saw on TV. Now, thanks to social media, kids are constantly bombarded with images of wealth, beauty, and success from around the world. It’s not just the rich and famous anymore; it’s influencers, peers, and even random strangers who seem to have it all. Whether it’s body image, fashion, or lifestyle, the pressure to measure up to unrealistic standards starts younger than ever, and it takes a serious toll on self-esteem.
3. There’s more pressure to achieve at a younger age.
Gone are the days when childhood was about playing outside and figuring life out slowly. Now, kids are expected to excel at everything — school, sports, hobbies, and even social skills — before they even hit their teenage years. With university places getting more competitive and career paths starting earlier, there’s this underlying expectation that if kids aren’t “winning” from a young age, they’re already behind. And with parents constantly hearing about child prodigies and “gifted” kids online, the pressure trickles down hard.
4. Online bullying doesn’t stop when school ends.
Source: Unsplash Bullying has always been around, but 30 years ago, it ended when you left school for the day. Now, thanks to social media, it follows kids home, continuing through group chats, comment sections, and even anonymous messaging apps. Not only is it relentless, but it’s also public. A single embarrassing moment can be recorded, shared, and laughed at by thousands of people in an instant. Kids today aren’t just dealing with mean classmates; they’re dealing with an entire digital audience, and that’s terrifying.
5. Privacy barely exists anymore.
Kids today grow up in a world where every moment of their lives can be shared online, whether they like it or not. Parents post baby photos, schools share achievements, and friends document every outing, often without thinking twice. That means kids don’t get the luxury of messing up in private. A bad haircut, an awkward phase, or a silly mistake can live on the internet forever. In the past, embarrassing childhood moments stayed in the past; now, they have the potential to resurface at any time.
6. The pressure to be constantly available is overwhelming.
Thirty years ago, if you weren’t home to answer the landline, people just had to wait. Now, kids are expected to be instantly reachable through texts, DMs, and group chats at all times. If they don’t respond quickly enough, it can cause drama. They don’t just have to manage schoolwork and family time; they also have to juggle social expectations 24/7. Being constantly connected can feel like a full-time job, and taking a break from it often leads to feelings of missing out or being left behind.
7. The cost of growing up is higher than ever.
Kids today don’t just need a bike and a pair of trainers—they need smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, branded clothes, and a whole list of digital subscriptions just to keep up with their peers. And that’s before they even start thinking about hobbies or school trips. Before, kids could entertain themselves with simple outdoor games or a few toys. Now, not having the latest gadgets can make kids feel left out or socially behind. The financial pressure on parents and the social pressure on kids is huge.
8. Everything is filmed, and mistakes feel permanent.
There was a time when if you tripped in public or said something silly, only the people around you saw it. Now, someone might record it and post it online before you even have time to process what happened. For kids today, the fear of going viral for the wrong reason is very real. One bad joke, one embarrassing moment, or one misunderstanding can turn into a meme, and the internet has a way of never letting things go.
9. They have to be mini-adults sooner than ever.
Back in the day, kids were allowed to be kids. Now, they’re exposed to adult topics at a much younger age, whether it’s through the internet, social media, or even school discussions about serious world issues. There’s more awareness of global problems — climate change, political instability, economic struggles — which is great, but it also means kids are carrying stress that previous generations didn’t deal with until adulthood. The carefree innocence of childhood is shrinking.
10. Playtime is being replaced by productivity.
Kids today have schedules that look like mini corporate planners—homework, extracurriculars, tutoring, sports, and coding classes. When we were younger, kids had time to be bored, to wander, and to play without a structured purpose. Now, even fun activities have turned into something to optimise for success. Play is no longer just about having fun; it’s about developing a skill or adding something to a future university application. The freedom to just exist without an agenda is disappearing.
11. There’s too much information to process.
Source: Unsplash In the ’80s and ’90s (and before, of course), if kids wanted to know something, they had to check an encyclopaedia or ask a teacher. Now, they have access to endless information at all times, but that’s not always a good thing. With so much conflicting advice, misinformation, and overwhelming news cycles, kids today have to develop critical thinking skills way earlier than before. They’re constantly bombarded with content, and filtering through what’s real and what’s nonsense is a challenge in itself.
12. Friendships are harder to navigate.
Friendships used to be about who you sat next to in class or played with outside. Now, they’re about managing online dynamics — who liked whose post, who’s in which group chat, and who follows whom on social media. Arguments aren’t just one-on-one anymore; they play out in front of an entire online audience. The social politics of friendships have never been more complicated, and navigating them requires a level of strategy that kids just a few decades ago never had to think about.
13. The pressure to look good starts young.
In the past, kids didn’t think too much about appearance beyond maybe wanting a cool new pair of trainers. Now, thanks to Instagram, filters, and beauty influencers, kids are hyper-aware of their looks before they even hit their teens. Plastic surgery filters, makeup tutorials, and fitness culture are making kids feel like they have to look a certain way before they’ve even finished growing. The beauty standards that used to be reserved for adults are now being pushed on children.
14. There’s no real break from the world.
When we were growing up, kids weren’t constantly plugged into global events. Now, news alerts, viral clips, and trending topics mean they’re always aware of what’s going wrong in the world. While awareness is important, it also leads to higher anxiety levels. Kids today aren’t just worried about school; they’re worried about the planet, politics, and everything in between.
