Juvenile ageism: unrecognized prejudice and discrimination against the young.

Ageism is a form of prejudice and discrimination as virulent as racism and as pervasive as sexism. It has been described as it affects the elderly but has not been sufficiently recognized as it affects the young. Institutional juvenile ageism exists when social systems ignore the interests of children. Individual juvenile ageism exists when the developmental interests of a child are not respected. This article describes the dynamics, manifestations, and approaches to the amelioration of juvenile ageism.