As the eldest daughter, I’ve always felt the responsibility to “fix” certain problems in my family. Whether that be solving behavioral disputes between my younger siblings or taking responsibility for “adult” chores, problem-solving became instinctual when I felt the pressure of an unresolved issue. If my mom were having trouble balancing filing taxes and making dinner, I would feel obligated to at least boil the pasta so my siblings could eat before bed at a reasonable time. On other matters, if I felt my siblings weren’t punished enough for their wrongdoings, I’d make sure they knew — by constantly telling them what they did was wrong.
In its formal definition, parentification refers to the phenomenon in which a child feels compelled to play the emotional and mental role of a supportive adult because they believe those responsible for them have failed, thereby reversing the dynamic between caregiver and child. Children who experience this early in their lives develop a level of maturity that does not match their age. Though this process is primarily used to analyze child-parent relationships, it also provides valuable insight into how this sense of responsibility extends beyond family and carries over into how they might engage in politics.
In January, San Francisco resident ten-year-old Finnley organized what his peers described as a “field trip” to gather his friends and protest alongside their community in response to the violent actions and mass deportations carried out by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in major metropolitan regions. Finnley and his friends organized a bake sale, created posters and wrote letters to officials in Minnesota, creating an “all-hands-on-deck situation.” It was a completely voluntary decision — Finnley’s passion for activism stemmed from his knowledge of the news from his parents and what he’d learned from The Week Junior, a youth news publication that he, himself, described as sometimes “too neutral.” Moreover, on Jan. 30, thousands of Americans participated in a nationwide shutdown, offering solidarity for the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti that had occurred in Minneapolis days earlier. Thousands of organizations and institutions, including schools, museums and offices, joined the effort, alongside individuals who chose not to spend money, attend class, or work. Individuals — notably, students from elementary school through college—encouraged faculty and staff to join and did so at their own discretion. Though it’s inspiring to see so many young kids engaged in politics, they should be occupied with general math and history content they’re learning in classrooms — not feel inclined to participate in nationwide strikes.
Political pressure within society is so strong that the moral and emotional weight is affecting every age group, notably the youth. Children — people below the age of 16 — are indulging in the process of parentification simply because they feel the government has failed them. A ten-year-old shouldn’t feel the need to organize a protest themselves — let alone encourage the rest of his class to join along, think and actively contribute to change. Kids are placed in schools to learn and to foster behavioral skills during their early development stages. Today, civic efficacy is introduced early on — and it is not only a signal of the media’s impact on early maturity, but also an indicator of how troublesome the status of our nation has become.
Over time, political dissatisfaction has grown among youth, notably during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, 70 percent of people under the age of 18 expressed frustration with politics and participated in some form of activism, ranging from participating in boycotts, signing petitions to engaging in local efforts. Studies have also shown that the percentage of youth attending demonstrations has increased to 15 percent within just two years — between 2016 and 2018 — where civil unrest has seemingly taken a toll.
At the same time, studies also show that even individuals who feel powerless and unconfident that their actions will make a change are still compelled to engage in some way. This is because people are susceptible to internalizing shocking news — whether that falls under the category of conspiracy theories or what could be classified as standout news — producing either disengagement or action. Some choose to disengage entirely out of fear of getting involved in a dangerous situation, while others experience what is known as learned helplessness. This feeling of helplessness produces a sense of solidarity when interpreted through a political lens, and results in more disengagement, even when given the opportunity to do so. Young people are institutionally constrained in what they can realistically do to fight back. Those who hold strong opinions cannot vote, but they continue to engage. These are individuals who fall on the opposite side of the learned helplessness spectrum — and these small, collective efforts reflect not just political interest, but reveal a deeper sense of responsibility and burden that serves as proof for the desire to protect themselves and others. The fact that they feel obligated to protect themselves says enough about how our nation is failing to foster a political environment in which individuals — even kids — feel safe. Their expression of political drive is shown through their basic empathy and the willingness to foster a community the government has failed to create; through the lens of parentification, it’s their efforts to take care and undertake the responsibility of caring for the nation that older generations have failed to keep intact.
Though most effective at early ages, this consciousness — the idea that individuals must take great responsibility in problem-solving — follows children to adulthood, simply because they finally feel like their actions might actually make a difference now. Sixteen-year-old Abigail Daugherty explained her reasoning for participating in the nationwide shutdown, driven by originally feeling “powerless” but “seeing other schools in the county” incentivized her and made her “[want] to do something.” Some teens constantly feel that “being scared just makes me want to be more involved,” said 17-year-old Rhy Serrano, motivated by the discomfort she experienced while overhearing peers making jokes about others potentially being deported for their race.
Especially since the 2016 election, youth activism from individuals ages 13-18, specifically in the form of marches and protests, has tripled. Civic efficacy, or the trust that an individual’s political choice will actually contribute to a better outcome, has also drastically increased, with 84 percent of individuals ages 18-24 believing their involvement left an impact, and around 74 percent of teenagers feeling there are active, tangible actions they can take to make the world a better place. Though it’s encouraging to know that youth political confidence has increased, these high numbers are alarming because they simply aren’t the result of political literacy, but rather a reaction to the mess the nation has created. Ten-year-olds should be occupied by their sports practices, and 13-year-olds should be worried about turning in their homework. It’s profound that more and more individuals are willing to step up and contribute to activism — just as much as it is frightening.
Featured Image Source: SF Chronicle