Children Aren’t Harder Today — The World Around Them Has Changed
In recent years, a common narrative has taken root: that children are less focused, more emotional, and somehow more difficult than previous generations. At Lumina, we challenge this perception.
The issue isn’t that children have changed for the worse. It’s that the world around them has transformed dramatically — and many of our systems, especially in education, have failed to adapt.
The Environment Has Shifted
Today’s children are navigating a world that is faster, louder, and more complex than ever before. They grow up in a culture of constant digital stimulation and diminishing downtime. Movement has been reduced, yet their developing bodies still crave it. Deep, meaningful connection is increasingly replaced by surface-level interactions. And all the while, academic and social pressures are intensifying — often beginning in early childhood.
Despite these shifts, we continue to hold children to the same behavioural standards that applied in a very different era. We expect them to concentrate, sit still, regulate their emotions, and perform consistently — all while operating within environments that can be overwhelming and dysregulating.
Rethinking the Question
When children struggle to focus or regulate their emotions, our instinct is often to ask: What’s wrong with this child?
At Lumina, we ask a different question: What’s happening around this child?
Because when children “act out” or disengage, it is rarely a sign of dysfunction. More often, it is a signal — a response to an environment that does not meet their developmental needs.
Children today are not less capable. But their nervous systems are more overloaded. Their attention is more fragmented. Their sense of purpose and emotional safety is often tenuous. If we want them to thrive, we must first understand the pressures they are responding to — and then build systems that help them cope, adapt, and grow.
A School Environment That Reflects the World They Inhabit
At Lumina International School, we are designing learning environments that meet children where they are — not where we wish they were. This means:
Creating calm, predictable spaces that support emotional regulation
Designing timetables with room for movement, rest, and meaningful connection
Valuing purpose and relevance in the curriculum, not just performance
Cultivating relationships of trust between teachers and students
Fostering a sense of safety, belonging, and agency in the classroom
We believe that focus, resilience, and calm are not traits to be enforced. They are outcomes of an environment that makes them biologically and emotionally possible.
Evolving With Our Learners
If we want to raise a generation of children who are curious, compassionate, and capable of navigating complexity, we must be willing to shift the lens. That starts with recognising that children are not inherently more difficult — they are adapting to a world we have yet to fully understand ourselves.
It is our responsibility to evolve with them. To listen to what they’re telling us through their behaviour. And to create schools that honour their needs, not dismiss them.
At Lumina, we are committed to building an educational model that grows with the children we serve — not against them.