Childhood nudity

In contemporary societies, the appropriateness of childhood nudity in various social situations is controversial, with many differences in behavior worldwide. Depending upon conceptions of childhood innocence and sexuality in general, societies may regard social nudity before puberty as normal, as acceptable within same-sex groups, or unacceptable.

Until 20,000 years ago, all humans were hunter-gatherers living in close contact with their natural surroundings. In addition to sharing a way of life, they were naked much of the time. In prehistoric pastoral societies in warmer climates adults might be minimally clothed or naked while working, and children might not wear clothes until puberty,^[1] a practice that continued in Ancient Egypt.^[2]

Until the end of the 20th century, the nudity of all small children and boys until puberty was viewed as non-sexual in Western culture. Only since the 1980s has there been a shift in attitudes by those who associate nudity with the threat of child abuse and exploitation, which has been described by some as a moral panic. Others maintain the need for openness and freedom for healthy child development, which is practiced in Northern European and non-Western Indigenous societies that allow children to play outdoors nude.