Poverty has always been an issue that has plagued youth in a different way than adults, but today it is becoming even more of a differentiating factor in schools and homes. Of course, children struggling with poverty in the past faced negative social treatment and issues with physical prosperity. However, today, in a more technologically advanced world, new problems are emerging. Technology presents accessibility challenges for those unable to afford it, and advancements in legal regulations pose additional difficulties for those who cannot keep pace with them. This article will examine how poverty disproportionately affects children.

First, in 2018, it was reported that one in four school-aged children lacked full access to necessary technology at home. As classrooms become increasingly digital, particularly since COVID-19, and schools expand their use of technology in curricula, the effects on children in poverty are becoming more pronounced. Additionally, children in these families do not have access to the safety precautions provided by tracking technologies on devices. Today, growing worry has arisen in parents regarding school shootings, in which case a child without access to a cellular device would be less likely to be able to call their parents during a moment of severe emergency.

Additionally, for some of our nation’s youth, being in poverty means they cannot even attend school. Many children cannot pass required health examinations or complete residency paperwork, typically due to homelessness or negative housing conditions. The AP News reported an instance of this, in which Atlanta mother Tameka could not send her children to school after COVID-19 because her children could not complete the proper documentation due to the death of her spouse, who had the documents with him, which were never found. While typically a parent would replace the documents, issues with residency related to poverty after the death of her husband resulted in more issues, even after the documents were put on a waiting period for replacement. Tameka’s case is not unique. Parents who cannot afford consistent residency and constant health screenings are put in similar situations. 

Ultimately, it should be brought to society’s attention that poverty is affecting many youth in schools today. On top of bullying and harassment, these students are behind their peers in academics and sometimes lack education altogether. While programs are being created to address these causes, the problem is not solved, and many parents still struggle every day to provide their children with a path to a good life. People should be questioning whether these children born into struggle or forced into it due to situations out of their control truly deserve to be set up for generational disparities. Overall, the issue of class gaps affects more than those we stereotype as struggling, in ways we may not consider.