The Stolen Childhood: How Schools Have Stolen The Age Of Innocence
Once upon a time, school was a place to learn. Now it’s the front line of ideological messaging — and childhood is quietly disappearing.
On a cold, drizzly afternoon not long ago, I sat down to watch an old movie. Something gentle and nostalgic, the kind that reminds you of a simpler time. As I watched, I heard a phrase I hadn’t thought about in years: “the age of innocence.” It struck a chord. Maybe because I have children of my own now, or maybe because that concept, the innocence of childhood, feels like it’s quietly slipping away.
There was a time when we believed in protecting childhood. When parents, teachers, and communities saw it as their duty to shield children from adult concerns. We believed in letting kids be kids, giving them space to learn and grow at their own pace, emotionally and developmentally. That sense of protection has all but disappeared.
Today, children are being asked to carry emotional and ideological burdens that aren’t theirs. Conversations about climate catastrophe, colonial guilt, gender identity, and protest politics now find their way into classrooms. Instead of focusing on literacy and numeracy, many schools seem to have embraced activism over academics. It’s no longer just about education — it’s about instilling a worldview before children even understand what that means.
What used to be the job of parents, to raise emotionally resilient and morally grounded children, is now being taken over by strangers following policy checklists. If your child questions or hesitates to conform, they’re often labelled difficult, resistant, or even harmful.
I see this playing out with my own two boys. One is analytical and emotionally sensitive — always observing, always thinking, always feeling. He weeps when he sees suffering in the world. The other barrels through life with relentless energy and a stubborn spirit, fiercely protective of his brother and me. Neither of them needs to be told that they live on stolen land, or that they are responsible for fixing the climate. They need time to grow, to play, to understand the world gradually and safely — not be pressured into carrying the weight of adult agendas.
There is a cruelty in forcing children to see the world through the lens of ideological guilt before they even know who they are. We are not teaching them how to think critically or solve problems, we are teaching them how to perform outrage. We hand them slogans before they’ve mastered spelling, and activist scripts before they’ve formed their own sense of self.
This is not just misguided. It’s reckless.
We must reclaim the age of innocence. Childhood should be a time of imagination, exploration, and discovery — not guilt, confusion, and politics. Let children form their own identities, feel proud of who they are, and learn how to navigate the world without being weighed down by agendas too complex for their years.
Because once their childhood is taken, we don’t get it back.
Want your voice heard?
If you want to let them know how you feel- the email addresses of the Minister and Liberal Shadow Minister for Education i
n August 2025 are below. Nowadays, a letter can have more impact. If that is what you would like to do, their postal details are also below. If you really feel strongly, why not do both?
Minister for Education- Hon Jason Clare MP
Email: Jason.Clare.MP@aph.gov.au
PO Box 153, Bankstown, NSW, 1885
Shadow Minister for Education - Jonathon Duniam
Email: senator.duniam@aph.gov.au
GPO Box 453, Hobart TAS 7001