I got a little shock when I saw a post on Instagram if i am not mistaken, it is just a random interview on the street to know the answer to an idea from a common people, especially from the teenager or Gen Z point of view.
The question is about going childless or a childfree lifestyle, as you know my country Indonesia is now in rank number four in terms of population, something that might be a good thing, if only things are well maintained and things are working well like in the advance country.
But since we are poor, having a lot of people can be a little bit of a problem. The government has been making a program called Keluarga Berencana or Planned family with encourages a family to have only two kids, which is not a good success since we still have a big birth rate.
Back to the childfree lifestyle, what shocked me was the reason one teenager wanted to take that lifestyle, the reason is that she only followed what is trending now on social media, and no other logical reasoning behind it. I know the idea of a teenager can be swayed easily, but having such a big decision only because of social media is a little bit scary for me.
If only the reason is that it is very expensive to raise a child, and she thinks that going child-free is better for the peace of mind, and also her financial situation might sound acceptable a little bit. The way she took the lifestyle is because she is responsible for not having a baby when she thinks she can't afford it.
Social media now is very much diluted, and what trending now might not be relevant in years to come, so don't let it dictate your thinking and decision, make a good decision because you have good reasons for it, not just because it is trending now.