 | This is an essay on the Biographies of living persons policy. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
Wikipedia's coverage of child prodigies and, more broadly, talented minors, is a sensitive topic that requires care. As with any biography of living persons, standalone articles about children must only be written if there are multiple, independent, reliable sources devoted to the subject. Unfortunately, in the case of prodigious children, the media has often been guilty of promoting a sensationalist bent to stories devoted to them, sometimes making it appear as though the child is more prodigious than what is recognized by relevant experts and high-quality sources. This has extended on more than one occasion to even first-rate media publications that are otherwise beyond reproach. For that reason, extreme care should be exercised when deciding whether an article on a child prodigy is warranted. When in doubt, erring on the side of exclusion is preferable in consideration of the issues that can include undue promotionalism and/or the possibility of causing harm to the subject. To that end, care should be taken not to confuse slow news day stories or personal interest fluff pieces that lack editorial care as indicating notability.