It’s fine if you’re child-free, but don’t expect the world to be.

In the past, social media was a place where people would express their opinions without any basis. But in recent years it has turned into a hotbed of hatred towards parents and children. Insensitive trolls have ruined the announcements of pregnancy on YouTube by calling moms to be “selfish” or “inconsiderate”. On TikTok, a woman called for the creation of an adult-only area that would be free from children. The new norm is to have child-free marriages. A passenger recently lost his sense of sanity when he became angry about a baby crying in a plane. Ironically, his childish tantrum forced the plane to reroute.

You can find a lot of hateful comments about children on Twitter, TikTok and Reddit. Parents are called “breeders”, akin monsters who are breeding monsters. The phrases “I don’t like children” and “I dislike children” have become trendy and are being used casually. Our society seems to be more intolerant towards children. It’s a bad feeling.

During a certain period, families were considered to be the foundation of society. It was once a time when the idea of a family, as well as the notion of community and social values were valued. The desire for family values has decreased, as has the value of social and community values. The former isn’t the only issue. However, the latter has led to a loss of compassion and tolerance in the community.

Birth rates have fallen dramatically, but this shouldn’t be a surprise. The National Center for Health Statistics 1 released a report that revealed Americans are having less babies. The report found that “the number of births declined steadily during 2007-2013, increased slightly in 2014, and decreased again from 2015 to 2019.” Other study from 1988 highlighted that a positive attitude towards children is likely to be related to a favorable attitude about having and raising kids.

The reason for the decline in birth rates is affordability. Wages don’t keep up with inflation. Housing affordability has become a major problem, meaning homeownership is not within reach of many.

In addition to economic insecurity there are also social and cultural aspects that need to be considered. There is a collective “doomsday virtue” that says that having children only leads to climate change and population growth. research shows that people no longer want to give up their autonomy to support a system which relies on a constant birthrate. The people don’t want to take on responsibilities any more. Even long-term relationships are causing anxiety.

These issues, while valid, are also synonymous with a lacklustre desire to have children, which appears to translate into an antipathy toward their existence and presence in general. The modern way of life has led to a population that is overly critical, impatient and with a phobia for inconveniences. They also have little regard for other people. The U.S. has a strong “do-it-yourself” and individualist attitude, which draws away from social collectivism and values reciprocity and cooperation. The concept of coexistence is rapidly fading, and many adults are unable to embrace other people, especially children.

It’s funny that not only people who are childless show their dislike for children. Some parents are intolerant of other people’s kids, and their empathy is waning. They criticize children in public places while judging their parents harshly. Parents expect their children to immediately conform to their wishes, but this is unrealistic. Children cannot be programmed to obey. It’s better to encourage thoughtfulness than judge parents who may already be feeling bad about their child’s outbursts or disturbances. Parents shouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

It’s not only the U.S., either. In South Korea, kids are banned from restaurants, cafes and other public places to prevent them from disrupting others. The situation has gotten to the point where South Korean politician Yong Hye In had to address and criticize this growing exclusionary policy of “no child zones.” This is due to the incredibly high birth rate.

It is prejudicial and selfish to blame parents for “not parenting”, and then expect them to remove their children and themselves from public places, just for your own convenience and pleasure.

Kindness can improve your mental health. Acts of kindness are linked to improved mental health. 2 Patience is a virtue that can lead to better health, whereas those who have a Type A personality and are impatient or irritable will tend to experience more health problems . Being kind will not cost you anything.

Please don’t think that the world will be childless just because you are childless. Children should be allowed in public to act and exist as they please without being shamed. You can’t function well as an adult if you have difficulty sharing spaces with others, particularly children (who are among the most vulnerable in our society). Remember that public spaces are not yours alone. They belong to everyone. Even the little ones.