Childhood nudity
In contemporary societies, the appropriateness of childhood nudity in various situations is controversial, with many differences in behavior worldwide. Depending upon conceptions of childhood innocence and sexuality in general, societies may regard social nudity before puberty as normal, as acceptable in particular situations such as same-sex groups, or unacceptable.
Until approximately 20,000 years ago, all humans were hunter-gatherers living in close contact with their natural surroundings. In addition to sharing a way of life, they were naked much of the time. In prehistoric pastoral societies in warmer climates adults might be minimally clothed or naked while working, and children might not wear clothes until puberty.
Before the final decades of the 20th century, the nudity of all small children, and boys until puberty, was generally viewed as non-sexual in Western culture. Since the 1980s, there has been a shift in attitudes by those who associate nudity with the threat of child abuse and exploitation, which has been described by some as a moral panic. Other societies continue to maintain the need for openness and freedom for healthy child development, allowing children to be nude without shame in safe environments.
Stages of human development
A report issued in 2009 on child sexual development in the United States by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network addressed the questions parents have about what to expect as their children grow up. Preschool children have a natural curiosity about their own bodies and the bodies of others, and little modesty in their behaviors. The report recommended that parents learn what is normal in regard to nudity and sexuality at each stage of a child's development and refrain from overreacting to their children's nudity-related behaviors unless there are signs of a problem. The general advice for non-family caregivers is to find ways of setting boundaries without giving the child a sense of shame. Both parents and caregivers need to understand that a child's explorations of their own and others bodies are motivated by curiosity, not adult sexuality.Early childhood
Sexual awareness begins in infancy, and develops along with physical and cognitive abilities. Preschool children have little sense of modesty, and will seek bodily comfort by removing their clothes and touching themselves. They are curious about the difference between boys and girls, and learn mainly by sight and touch; wanting to see and touch the bodies of others their own age. They usually learn the difference between boys and girls, including themselves, by the age of three or four. Preschool children have little understanding of the effects of their behavior on others. As their language use grows, they will use words they have heard for body parts and functions. At age four to six they will ask questions about bodily functions, attempt to see other people when they are naked, and explore the bodies of others their own age.Normal sexual play includes behaviors such as playing doctor and other sexual games, looking at or briefly touching other children's genitals, sexual talk and jokes, and masturbation.
Normal sexual behavior is exploratory, spontaneous and infrequent. It is voluntary, none of the children being upset. The behavior is easily diverted when privacy rules are explained. These behaviors occur occasionally between peers or siblings who are of similar age, size, and level of development. Caregivers must determine when behavior becomes problematic and requires intervention. In some families any sexual behavior, such as masturbation, may be seen as problematic or unacceptable, even though the behavior is generally viewed as normal by child behavior specialists.
Late childhood and adolescence
Between the age of 7 and 12 children may prefer to be alone for dressing and undressing, although there are differences in norms regarding [|family nudity]. There may be social difficulties depending upon individual differences in sexual development of children of the same age, in particular the beginning of puberty. Children's understanding of these changes depend upon correct information and educational materials being provided as they grow. Parents may be uncomfortable providing such information, and their children may turn to inaccurate information and values contained in movies, television, and the internet.Pre-pubescent children tend to have friends of the same sex. They may participate in sex play that is motivated by curiosity, and does not reflect upon sexual orientation. Parents may respond to such behavior by providing age-appropriate guidance regarding social rules.
Puberty occurs between ages 10 and 17, generally a year later for boys than for girls. Although an adult-level capacity for logical thinking may be reached by 16, psychosocial maturity, the ability to make decisions under stress or emotions may not occur until after 18, creating a maturity gap. Sexual behaviors between adolescents of the same age are generally considered normal by professionals if it does not involve coercion or purely sexual motivation. Otherwise, appropriateness of sexual behavior depends upon family and cultural traditions regarding physical expression of affection, privacy accorded to children, and openness about sexuality.
Non-Western cultures
In tropical regions of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania, casual nudity existed as a social norm until the colonial era. Many Indigenous peoples with little or no contact with outsiders continue to practice traditional dress, including nudity.In contemporary rural villages of Sub-Saharan Africa, prepubescent boys and girls play together nude, and women bare their breasts in the belief that the meaning of naked bodies is not limited to sexuality. In Lagos, Nigeria, some parents continue to allow children to be naked until puberty. Some parents now express fears about pedophiles and strangers taking photographs, but they typically want their children to have the same freedom as their own childhood and grow up with a positive body image.
Several Asian cultures have dated cultural practices of nonsexual touching of young boys' genitals by family members and community members as a way to show affection or remind a boy to cover his genitals. These behaviors have largely ended outside of a few rural areas and have resulted in cultural conflicts with the modern world.
During the post-WWII era, Israeli kibbutzim pursued a program to create a society which included social and gender equality. For a time, some kibbutz children were raised communally, and boys and girls played naked outdoors on hot days.
Islam
There are prohibitions in Islam regarding at what age or level of sexual awareness the intimate parts of a child may be touched by or looked upon by adults, with some difference between the five major schools of Islamic law.Four of these schools belong to Sunni Islam. In the Hanbali school, it is not prohibited to touch or look at the body of a child below seven years. The Hanafi school does not prohibit looking at any part of a boy under four, but above that age his rear and private parts are prohibited. After the age of sexual awareness, the rules of modest dress for adults also applies to children. For the Maliki school, it is permissible for a woman to look at and touch the body of a boy less than eight, and only look until twelve, after which a boy is dressed similar to an adult. It is permissible for a man to look at and touch the body of a girl under the age of two years and eight months, and to look at, though not touch, until she reaches the age of four years. The Shafi'i school defines the need for modest dress for boys as beginning with his own interest in sex. For girls, modest dress begins when she arouses sexual interest in others.
In Twelver Shi'ism, which includes 85% of Shia Islam and predominates in Iran and Iraq, it is permissible to look at any child below the age of five, but it is prohibited to look at them with a sexual interest at any age.
Japan
In Japanese culture, bathing is for relaxation and purification as well as cleanliness, and is part of both Shintoism and Buddhism. Purification in the bath is not only for the body, but the heart or spirit. Traditionally, the concept of indecent exposure did not exist, so all ages and genders bathed together. Some public baths may now offer gender segregation, but the option of mixed bathing continues.In the Tokugawa period in Japan, lacking baths in their homes, entire communities frequented public bathhouses where they were unclothed together. With the opening of Japan to European visitors in the Meiji era, mixed public bathing became an issue for leaders concerned with Japan's international reputation.
Public baths were once common, but became less so with the addition of bathtubs in homes. Sentō were mixed gender until the arrival of Western influences. Home tubs in Japan are also for soaking and relaxing, not for washing. Some parents in contemporary Japan continue to bathe with children up to adolescence without regard to gender.
Western cultures
History
Anthropologist David MacDougall states that in Western cultures: "The sense of shock at seeing children naked seems to be mainly a recent phenomenon."England
Despite the prudery of the Victorian era in Britain, children being unclothed was accepted as natural and ordinary in many circumstances. Children were free to play naked in the nursery, and the children of the British royal family were photographed nude in the 1920s and 1930s. Images of nude children appeared in soap ads and fine art.The British view of childhood as innocent did not extend to America during the same period. In 1891 an American visiting England wrote to a travel columnist that he could not bring his young daughter to the beach without their being surrounded by naked boys. The columnist replied that Englishmen have no problem with their daughters playing with naked boys to the age of ten, but draw a line at fifteen.
In England during the interwar period, a number of schools were established which practiced an educational program that included coeducation and nudity while playing sports or sunbathing. Children were often on the cover of nudist magazines because nude adults could not be displayed on newsstands.
A 1940s film showed an outing for Scouts and Girl Guides in which boys to the age of about ten play nude, while older boys and all girls are dressed.