something needs to be done to address the issue with kids who are too young to understand what is going on and properly explain it to their parents.
Yeah, and that "something" could be summed up as "You might feel weird and confused, but everything will be okay, and you'll grow into the changes happening to you", but instead what they're getting is "If you feel weird or confused, it probably means you're trans and should start taking drugs and having operations that will stop those changes from happening and wreck your body forever, also you should go join a chat room/echo chamber full of trannies who will all be your friends but only if you're also trans, and anyone who opposes any of this is a bigot, and make sure you don't tell your parents about any of this".
Your summary is how these problems start. Kids are stupidly curious and never trust when they should. Giving weak, dodgy responses like that is how they seek out predators to find their answers because they know there is more than that. Especially if you try and create some boogeyman about it, as a generation of DARE failures can tell you.
My point wasn't that these creeps are the types they should go to. Its a reminder that thinking "oh they aren't old enough for that talk" isn't always the case anymore and you might not know they are in need of it.
Which is exactly what the predators want, parents ignorant and kids confused so they can be properly groomed.
I did say "summary" for a reason. I did not literally mean a one sentence approach. But the solution to "If you're confused you're trans" is not just more information, because no amount of information will solve such an emotional problem. The solution must include stopping teachers from lying to children by teaching "confusion or not 100% lining up with gender stereotypes = trans", and disallowing them from hiding what the kids are doing in school, like changing their name or pronouns, from their parents. You can't expect parents to address problems that the school is creating and then trying to conceal from them.
Yeah, and that "something" could be summed up as "You might feel weird and confused, but everything will be okay, and you'll grow into the changes happening to you", but instead what they're getting is "If you feel weird or confused, it probably means you're trans and should start taking drugs and having operations that will stop those changes from happening and wreck your body forever, also you should go join a chat room/echo chamber full of trannies who will all be your friends but only if you're also trans, and anyone who opposes any of this is a bigot, and make sure you don't tell your parents about any of this".
Your summary is how these problems start. Kids are stupidly curious and never trust when they should. Giving weak, dodgy responses like that is how they seek out predators to find their answers because they know there is more than that. Especially if you try and create some boogeyman about it, as a generation of DARE failures can tell you.
My point wasn't that these creeps are the types they should go to. Its a reminder that thinking "oh they aren't old enough for that talk" isn't always the case anymore and you might not know they are in need of it.
Which is exactly what the predators want, parents ignorant and kids confused so they can be properly groomed.
I did say "summary" for a reason. I did not literally mean a one sentence approach. But the solution to "If you're confused you're trans" is not just more information, because no amount of information will solve such an emotional problem. The solution must include stopping teachers from lying to children by teaching "confusion or not 100% lining up with gender stereotypes = trans", and disallowing them from hiding what the kids are doing in school, like changing their name or pronouns, from their parents. You can't expect parents to address problems that the school is creating and then trying to conceal from them.