This Controversial Meme About Children And Consent Has Sparked A Great Debate Online

Asking your child to give your friend or relative a simple kiss or a hug might seem completely harmless but this controversial meme tells us otherwise. This recently went viral on social media and it has since sparked a lengthy discussion among netizens.

This meme about children and consent was posted online by the Facebook page A Might Girl.

It reads:

“I am 5. My body is my body. Don’t force me to kiss or hug.”

The meme likewise emphasizes:

“I am learning about consent and your support on this will keep myself safe for the rest of my life.”

It also came with an excerpt from an article entitled “I don’t own my child’s body,” by Katia Hetter, CNN writer and producer.

In the said article, she mentioned that telling children to give kisses or hugs to unwanted people is the same as telling them that their bodies do not belong to them – which, in the long run, might potentially make them vulnerable to sex abusers.

You can read the rest of A Mighty Girl’s post here:

Some netizens agreed with the meme and even shared their own experiences.

“I don’t like hugging strangers either… How about a high 5 instead?”

“You are the boss of your body.”

Others, however, took a different stance regarding the matter.

“Give affection only when you feel like it?.. I don’t want an alienated and selfish kid.”

Meanwhile, some netizens offered alternative ideas to hugging and kissing:

“Kids should learn to be polite, too.”

Well how about you? What do you guys think about this? Do you agree or disagree with this? Go hit us up in the comment section!