BBC asks kids what makes them different — and it unintentionally reveals why adults are the real problem

They say discrimination is something only adults invent, and prejudice isn't inborn; rather, it's a learned behavior. To test the hypothesis, the BBC decided to question kids and understand their perception of "differences" that society often uses to justify intolerance and exclusion. The video, produced by BBC CBeebies, has received over a million views on Instagram.

For the social experiment, the BBC gathered a group of neurotypical and neurodivergent children and divided them into pairs of two, each with kids from both categories. "What makes you two different?" the team asked, and the kids just went blank, because for them, they weren't really different, or perhaps, they never wasted time finding flaws in each other.

Every single child paused for a minute, figuring out the things that make them different from others, but their response wasn't something you would expect from adults. "I used to not like lettuce, but now I like lettuce," a boy said, and for him, that was the difference, because his partner never liked the vegetable. Similarly, another girl pointed out, "Lucy loves tomato sauce, and I do like it, but I don't love it as much as Lucy."

The differences they mentioned were vague and preference-based, just as they're supposed to be, because we are all humans, and that should be our core identity. From noticing a slight difference in each other's appearance to personality, the kids noted everything except their neurodevelopmental conditions, and that itself proves children aren't anything like adults; in fact, they're way better.

Interestingly, a little participant shared she was good at gymnastics, while her partner was great at swimming, and explained how she understood they were both good, just at different things. Kids are away from everything that society labels as problematic unless they're exposed to adults talking about it. But what if all adults also realize that inclusion is everything we need? Well, that would change the lives of nearly 24 million children with disabilities, as estimated by UNICEF worldwide.

Meanwhile, reacting to the beautiful video, @pramiti_i commented, "Kids don’t see the difference — only grown-up hearts learn how to divide and discriminate. You need an adult heart to master that level of bias."

Similarly, @change_it_books said, "Correct. So much of what we believe is only a social construct. Our parents, our education, and our religion are responsible for molding who we are, how we think, and what we believe to be true and important. If you get to the point in life where you start to question your programming, you have found the path to the deconstruction of these ideas. From there, much is possible."

On the other hand, @jacqui_msh wrote, "This shows how wonderful and pure children are, and through adults' senseless remarks, they change as they grow up. We, as grown-ups, should get our shit together in order to prevent useless problems and corruption." Another user, @barbarascarpellareed, pointed out, "Prejudice is a learned behavior. If only these children fully represented the world we live in… Remember, parents and grandparents, it all starts with you. Your influences and words will affect generations. Differences do not mean deficiencies."

Echoing the sentiments, @laterholmes commented, "Just goes to show you that we all have the same color blood, and a little kindness and humanity starts at an early age, and then adults mess it up. Love these kids."

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