The aftermath of the death of the 14-year-old girl, allegedly caused by sniffing lighter fuel, has stirred a nationwide debate, with questions being asked about what is going on in our society. As the dust settles following the initial shock and drama surrounding this tragedy, authorities as well as society in general must take a wider look at the bigger picture.

It would be a mistake to address the situation by simply announcing some form of knee-jerk legislative amendments or policies to curb such abuses. Without going into the merits of this particular case, it is evident that the real issue has to do with adolescents too eager to become adults and too keen to put their childhood behind them. Indeed it would be interesting to delve into the reasons for this, given that deprived children are nowadays becoming a fading memory.

What is of most concern is the fact that this teen frenzy, in some cases, is being fuelled by parents themselves, who seem too eager to show off their children’s “assets”. Such an approach might be highly indicative of their socio-educational background, for it is inconceivable to think that parents realise their complicity in all this.

A quick trip to Paceville on weekends will immediately highlight this point, with some girls as young as 12 dressed like mature women, to put it mildly. Now, to suggest that parents are not aware of this would be idiotic to say the least. Such behaviour is also being mirrored by teenage boys who try to project themselves as macho men from a very young age.

No wonder that a significant chunk of the upcoming generation seem unsatisfied with themselves, and are always craving for more. Unfortunately, some of them do not realise till they are on the brink; when it might be too late. While such a perspective may be described as a rather fatalistic one, it would be foolish to ignore reality.

In recent years, the advent of digital photography and the social media has led to the creation of new platforms for adolescents keen to announce their presence on the adult stage. In some cases, girls as young as 12 or thirteen are featuring in photo shoots more suggestive of the adult entertainment industry. In most cases, those involved in such activities justify their actions by claiming that it is not unlike an early venture in the modelling world. Unfortunately, some of them are conned into thinking that this kind of activity may pave their way to the entertainment industry.

As they say, it takes two to tango. It would be interesting for the authorities to launch a full-scale investigation to determine the identity of the perpetrators of this kind of exploitation. A quick search on Facebook would surely be a good starting point as recent events suggest.