ABSTRACT
This chapter examines historical changes in children's social networks in American society. It argues that children's networks have changed over time from complex and age-diverse patterns to simpler and age-standardized ones; that, on the one hand, age and functions have become streamlined and homogenized within the family; and, on the other hand, institutions and peer groups have come to play an important role in children's networks, often at the expense of familial ties. These two developments have occurred along parallel tracks since about the middle of the nineteenth century. The chapter examines these changes and their impact on children's lives and raises some questions about their implications for child development. Over the past two centuries, the processes of urbanization and industrialization, combined with demographic change and cultural factors, have affected the status of children in the family and in the larger society. These changes have shaped children's interactions with various family members and with the larger community.
