[_popcornLurker]

I think I understand what the article is saying here. To be a bit reductive: "give kids some credit". I get it. In todays society children are seen as a financial burden redeemed only by the meaningful emotional and spiritual impact they might have on their caregivers. That is the value of a child. We, in the process of trying to protect children from exploitation, placed them in a glass box and after that quite rightly expected nothing from them. In doing so we inadvertently lost all faith in their capabilities. I actually believe if we gave kids and teenagers more agency they'd be a little bit more protected against predative behaviour. For the young teenage girl someone twice their age telling them "wow you're so mature for your age" might no longer be the clearing in the forest that they run to.