A recent national poll by our local hospital, C. S. Mott Children’s, asked parents of ages 6-17 what they think of their children swearing.
Half of parents feel swearing is sometimes okay for children—but whether or not you think it’s okay, your child is likely to swear at some point or another! Children and young people pick up swear words from social media, from peers and from the adults in their life. So even if they’re not swearing yet, they’re bound to drop a word at some point.
The poll finds that 65% of parents think children learn swear words from peers, 58% from media, 45% from themselves and 44% from other family members. Parents use different methods to try to prevent their child from hearing swear words.
This includes limiting their own swearing (57%), discouraging particular friendships (20%), asking other people not to swear in front of their child (28%), and restricting the media their child has access to (39%).
Parents are becoming more open to their child using swear words. 4 in 10 parents of teenagers easily acknowledge that their child swears. More than half of parents are open to their child swearing depending on the context, and one out of sixteen parents think a child swearing is no big deal at all.
If a parent thinks swearing is a big deal, they cite a variety of reasons why. Religious parents may dislike swearing as it can be viewed as violating their faith’s moral guidelines. Some parents are just concerned about context—swearing at school can be a problem, but “at-home” words can be totally fine. And some may just see swearing as rude.
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Parents of older kids are more likely to be okay with swearing, or say it depends on context; parents of younger kiddos are more likely to have a blanket rule against swearing. 76% of parents think their child never or rarely swears, while 24% say their child swears at least occasionally.
Parents think children swear for a variety of reasons. 41% say it’s just habit; 37% say to fit in with other kids. 36% say it’s to be funny, 21% say it’s to get attention, and 27% think it’s “just the way kids talk these days”.
Whether their child swears frequently, occasionally, or (they think) never, many parents feel responsible for their child’s language. Parents use a variety of approaches to handle swearing. 21% of parents of teens are more likely to ignore swearing; only 8% of parents of young children ignore swearing. 41% of parents tell them to stop, 38% explain why they don’t like it, and 6% lay down a punishment.
Does this study ring true for you? How do you handle swearing in your house? Let us know!
