There is a popular joke about a 7-year-old who decides one morning to try out some of the language that he has heard on television. He and his 4-year-old brother are sitting in the kitchen waiting for their mother. As the mother walks into the kitchen, she asks her older son what he wants for breakfast. His response is: "Aw, #%*# mom, I guess I'll have some %#@* Cheerios." The mother is appalled and reacts angrily: she instantly whacks the 7-year-old with her hand on the back of his head. He flies off the chair and runs upstairs, crying his eyes out. The mother then looks at her younger son and asks, "And what do YOU want for breakfast, young man? I don't know," he blubbers fearfully, "but it sure as #%*# won't be any of those %#@* Cheerios!"

Although this story is only meant to be humorous, it reflects our perception that young children are cursing more, and in more situations. According to Timothy Jay in When Young Children Use Profanity (2002), a large majority of children are frequently exposed to racist, sexist, or offensive language. According to Katie Couric on a 2002 NBC Today Show elementary school teachers now claim that the most common word used on the playground is the word "fag." Children use this word on each other for the express purpose of embarrassing and humiliating one another [note the difference between American and British English].