Why do we ignore kids!

 

I’ve always wondered why there is a shift from being the most precious, in which we are so in tune

With our kids' needs and voice.

However, as they grow older, we tend to listen to societal norms more than our children. Why?

Despite frequent assertions that children represent the future, contemporary society often fails to act on this. Beyond the confines of family life or institutional care, children are routinely marginalised, viewed less as individuals with rights and potential, and more as economic dependencies or behavioural challenges. This tendency is not incidental but reflects deeply ingrained systemic, cultural and economic values that prioritise short-term productivity over long-term societal wellbeing. If Australia is to foster a sustainable, equitable future, a significant shift in how we perceive and treat children is necessary.

In economic terms, children are largely invisible. Within neoliberal frameworks, value is measured by economic output, a metric by which children who do not produce in the conventional sense are sidelined. As Edwards (2016) demonstrates, even child protection regimes often function less to support wellbeing and more to regulate the behaviours of marginalised families. Public investment is skewed toward the adult workforce, reinforcing the idea that children’s primary function is to become economically viable adults, consumers, rather than individuals deserving of care and participation in the present.

This structural neglect is compounded by policy inertia. Despite an expanding body of developmental research highlighting the long-term consequences of instability, neglect, and trauma, institutions are slow to adapt. Yoshikawa and Hsueh (2001) argue that policy decisions rarely integrate contemporary insights from child development. Bureaucratic rigidity, as outlined by Trebilcock (2014), often preserves outdated practices, even when evidence points to their failure. Such inertia is not neutral; it reproduces harm by preventing responsive, child-focused reform.

There are also cultural dynamics at play. Human beings are neurologically wired for safety and conformity, with our social instincts shaped by the need for group cohesion and unity. Children, by nature, are inquisitive, creative and non-conforming, often disrupting adult norms and expectations. As Boyd and Richerson (2020) explain, these social instincts can lead to the exclusion and suppression of those who challenge dominant frameworks. This helps explain why societies may resist truly listening to children, even when their perspectives offer valuable critiques of existing structures.

These patterns of ignoring and exclusion are not going unnoticed. A series of Australian reports and reforms in recent years have begun to challenge the status quo. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Help Way Earlier! report (2024) recommends the creation of a National Taskforce and a Cabinet Minister for Children to address systemic failures in child justice and advocate for early intervention reforms (humanrights.gov.au). The Centre for Policy Development’s 'Growing Together' report provides a roadmap for universal, high-quality early childhood education and care, aligning children’s services with systems such as Medicare and schooling (cpd.org.au). South Australia’s commitment to providing three-year-old children with 15 hours of teacher-led early learning by 2032 exemplifies this shift (adelaidenow.com.au). Furthermore, Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031 promotes proactive and preventive strategies that engage communities in reshaping child welfare systems (aihw.gov.au).

The question now is not whether change is needed, but whether we are prepared to pursue it with the urgency and unity it demands. Do we want institutions that serve narrow economic agendas, or communities that uphold the dignity of every child? The answer lies not in future projections but in current action. Children are not waiting to inherit society; they are already shaping it. We must create systems that see, hear, and respond to them. This requires unity, it requires courage, it requires you.

This is a moment for collective action. We call on communities, educators, policymakers, parents, and allies to unite under one banner: KidsFirst Now. This is not just a campaign, it is a principle. A commitment to prioritising children in every decision, to embedding their voices in every forum, and to reforming the systems that shape their lives.

Let this not be a rhetorical stance, but a societal pledge. Children are not secondary. Their well-being is not optional. Their voices are not disruptive; they are essential. Let’s build a nation that reflects this truth, now and for generations to come.