About this episode

The episode explores the pressures of modern childhood and the importance of reclaiming the essence of wonder within us all.

All of us are former children: a fact so often forgotten and yet so powerful when we remember just what is waiting inside all of us to be re-ignited. Within the wide threads of a conversation on childhood is the desire to tap beneath the cultural stories of modern childhood to re-ignite the essence of wonder that sits within us all and that is being threatened by so many of our modern problems. Growing up in our modern world is so frequently encased with pressure. Beyond the increasing pressures from school, family and the modern world, young people are navigating the hugely fracturing world of social media and - ever increasingly - feeling the weight and burden of the climate and nature crisis. All too often, children are being asked - sometimes tasked - to take on mental responsibilities and concerns well beyond their emotional capacities to hold; and the symptoms of burnout, anxiety, overwhelm and depression are skyrocketing. Knowing that the cultures we're living in shape the way we think, feel and act in the world helps to see and explore why so many different cultural experiences of childhood exist - and by digging beneath the cultural stories, we can start to tap into the…

Topics covered

• childhood
• mental health
• social media
• cultural stories
• inner child
• well-being

Keywords

• childhood
• mental health
• social media
• burnout
• anxiety
• well-being
• cultural experiences

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UNICEF

More episodes of Two Inconvenient Women

• Are we losing our humanity? · July 17, 2026 · 1h 0m
• What's the point of hope? · July 10, 2026 · 57 min
• Why is play so important (and not just for children)? · July 3, 2026 · 59 min
• Red Alert: can we talk about the climate emergency now? · June 26, 2026 · 1h 1m

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