KGOY

Not long ago, I was introduced to a new (at least for me) acronym – KGOY. I learned that those letters now mean, in some circles, Kids Growing Older Younger.  One variation of this is Kids Getting Older Younger.

I found the following information online at cruxresearch.com. The article was entitled “Are Kids Getting Older Younger?” The first two paragraphs state that:

There is a lot of talk today about kids getting older younger. You hear this described as “Developmental Compression” by academics. The concept is so ingrained in youth marketing that it is often referred to as an acronym – KGOY (this is not a west coast radio station!). Like many presumptions, there is some truth in the concept, but that truth may not be as simple as an acronym implies.

There has undoubtedly been an age compression going on. The emergence of new marketing segments, notably tweens, is a reflection of this. As an example, when boomers were growing up, Sesame Street was targeted to kids aged 3-7. Currently, it is targeted to ages 3-4. By age 5, kids have moved on to other shows. Similarly, toy companies struggle with kids “aging out” faster than they used to. This makes marketing to children challenging.

I am not too concerned about how this phenomenon might or might not affect people who may be trying to market to children. I am, however, very concerned about what it definitely means for parents and for churches.

For a variety of reasons, kids today are exposed to much, much more than was the case when I was a kid. As difficult as it might be for some to believe, my family did not even own a television until I was in the second grade. The display was black and white. After quite a few years, my dad bought a color television. 

Have you noticed the use of singular terms? Whether the television was black and white or “living color,” there was only one in the entire household. 

Among other things, that meant that the type of entertainment was closely monitored. The only choice I had was to watch what my parents watched.

That is no longer the case with most families. Sometimes very young children carry in their hands or pockets access to entertainment and information I couldn’t even dream of in those years. I guess one could say that young people today are becoming more “wise to the ways of the world” much earlier than has previously been the case. 

Please read that last sentence again. 

That sentence is why I am concerned about parenting skills in families and education programs in churches. Parents, elders, preachers, and others need to realize the necessity of getting serious about doing our best to help young people develop a faith that is deep, vibrant, and their own very, very, very early in life. Unless we do, the battle for these precious souls may be lost before we realize that it even began.

May I suggest a new acronym? Maybe we could use it as both a prayer to our Father and a challenge for those of us who are older.

Keep Guarding Our Youth

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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn

Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash