Rise of the 'Kidults': An obsession with wellbeing in schools, crying rooms at universities - here's why so many young people are eschewing adult life for an adolescence that stretches into their 30s By Professor Keith Hayward Published: 02:47, 23 June 2024 | Updated: 08:28, 23 June 2024 e-mail 15 shares 73 View comments Are you, like me, fed up with being treated like a child, talked down to and patronised by a contemporary culture that wants to infantilise us? In almost every sphere of society, a deep-rooted and deeply corrosive culture of immaturity has taken hold, and instead of inhabiting a grown-up world of foresight and experience, we’ve been enrolled, without our consent, into something resembling adult day care. It’s evident in the pointless and condescending health-and-safety signage that tells you how to use a handrail or a flight of stairs, or in the wheedling tone of that Tannoy announcer who reminds you to ‘stay hydrated’ on a hot day. It’s there in the mood music emanating from our elite institutions, as museum and gallery curators slather their displays with labels warning visitors that they might find certain objects and artworks provocative, unsettling or problematic.
And it’s there in the workplace, where behaviour that used to be dismissed as office politics is recast as bullying. Many youngsters are opting for infantilism, writes Professor Keith Hayward, rather than taking up many of the responsibilities that come with early adulthood This sor.
