Adultification

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of treating children as if they are adults, often leading to premature expectations and responsibilities placed upon them
2. The phenomenon where youths are perceived or considered to have adult characteristics and roles, sometimes resulting in loss of childhood innocence
3. A societal tendency to apply adult standards to minors, impacting their behavior and social interactions in significant ways

Etymology: "Adultification" is a modern formation built from "adult" and the suffix "-ification," the latter meaning the process of making something into what the base describes, as in "classification" or "simplification." Put together, the word names the act or process of treating someone, typically a child, as though they were an adult. The word's sense is the reverse of what the base might suggest: rather than describing adults, it describes children being pushed into adult roles, expectations, or punishments before they are developmentally ready for them. Its usage is recent and has grown mostly in discussions of how young people, especially Black children, are treated by schools, police, and courts.