Opera Estate Primary School -- Ayaansh Sharma #SpeakUp2026

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Ayanj, aged 10, from Opera Estate Primary School. Imagine you're only 10 years old, like me. Instead of thinking about playing with your friends, you're worrying about how many likes you got on a post online or acting older just to fit in. Today, I'll be talking about the question, are we growing up too fast in the digital age? I believe we are. Technology has helped make our lives easier in so many ways. We can learn new skills, communicate with friends and family and discover information from all around the world in just five seconds. However, soon you will discover that technology has a dark side. One major problem is that children are being exposed to adult or inappropriate content from younger ages. They can come across videos, pictures or even conversations that are meant for adults only. This can happen through online games, social media or even advertisements. Seeing things we are not emotionally and mentally ready for can be upsetting and confusing, making us children lose our innocence too early. Social media also creates the pressure to look tall, perfect and wear trendy clothes. Did you know that many influencers only post the best parts of their lives? Yes, 90% of their lives are much worse than you think. And most of their posts are photo shoots, meaning they aren't natural. So, are we growing up too fast in the digital age? I believe we are, but we still have a choice. Instead of growing up while watching videos on TikTok, we can grow up while playing and spending time with our friends and family. After all, we always have the chance to become adults, but we only have one chance to live our childhood. Thank you.