Coinciding with the fifth anniversary of Taliban rule, several families are expressing concern over changes in the attitudes, behavior, and aspirations of their children and adolescents. They say that restrictions on education, the continuation of the economic crisis, shrinking social opportunities, and the general atmosphere prevailing in the country have, over the past five years, affected the way their children think and view the future. According to them, rising despair, declining motivation for education, a tendency among some children toward violence, and the formation of restrictive views toward women are among the most significant changes they have observed among children and adolescents in recent years.
The Hasht-e Subh Daily spoke with several families in Ghazni, Badakhshan, and Panjshir provinces between late May and late July 2026. These families say that some children show greater interest than before in weapons and symbols of power, while others, particularly girls, have lost hope for the future due to being deprived of education and having their prospects narrowed. They also say that the restrictions imposed on women have affected the attitudes of some boys as well, changing how they view the women in their families.
Five years after Taliban rule began, millions of children in Afghanistan have spent the most formative years of their development in an environment marked by restrictions on education, social isolation, and an uncertain outlook for the future. Girls have been barred from continuing their education beyond the sixth grade, and many families say economic hardship has also made it difficult for several boys to continue their studies. The question now being raised is what role the children growing up under these conditions today will play in shaping the future of Afghan society.
Shamsia, a mother in Ghazni province, says that five years of Taliban rule have had a striking impact on her children’s attitudes and behavior. She says that before Taliban rule, her children’s main concerns were their studies, play, and pursuing their dreams; but now they reflect, even at home, the restrictive attitudes and behaviors that have become widespread in society. She adds that as restrictions on women have intensified, her sons’ views of their sister have also changed.
Shamsia says: “Five years ago, my children were kind to one another, studied, and enjoyed life. Even in their games, they would tell their sister that they would help her get to parliament and that she should become a lawmaker. But now, because girls are deprived of education, they constantly tell her that she must get married, that she must wear her chador properly, that she must not leave the house, and that she should not use the phone and internet too much because it is shameful for a Muslim girl. All of this is the result of the atmosphere created after the Taliban took control. A child who did not hold such views until yesterday now dictates rules to his sister.”
Concern over changes in children’s attitudes is not limited to this family alone. Other families also speak of shifts in their children’s behavior and outlook in recent years.
Amina, another resident of Ghazni province, says that five years of Taliban rule have affected her children’s attitudes and behavior, to the point that her sons have grown more inclined than before toward weapons and toward becoming “fedayeen,” while her daughters struggle with despair, depression, and a lack of motivation regarding the future.
She adds that before the fall of the republic, her children were growing up in a more open environment with greater hope, and such changes were not seen among them at that time.
Amina says: “Before the fall of the republic, people in Ghazni city had gradually developed a more open outlook; but after the fall of the government, the situation changed, and this affected children as well. Now most girls, including my own daughter, have become depressed. Although some of them have started small businesses or turned to crafts such as tailoring and sewing, none of them has been able to shake off the sense of discrimination imposed on them over the past five years.”
As a teacher, she finds this situation troubling for the future of society and says: “A generation is growing up whose direction is unclear. Children growing up in Afghanistan today are not merely witnessing political changes; these developments are also affecting how they think, their hope, their self-confidence, and their outlook on society.”
In Badakhshan too, families express concern over changes in children’s aspirations and mindset.
Marwa, a mother in Badakhshan province, says that children who once spoke of dreams such as becoming a doctor, a teacher, or even president now, under the influence of the prevailing atmosphere, have developed different aspirations and a different outlook on the future. According to her, this change is not seen only among older children but has also affected younger ones.
Marwa says: “Children’s attitudes have truly changed since the change of government. Even a child who is two or three years old has been affected by the surrounding atmosphere. When asked what they want to be in the future, some say Taliban or a Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice official. Whenever the sound of gunfire, or even firecrackers, is heard, children say among themselves that the Taliban have attacked or that they have struck Pakistan. This shows that the atmosphere of war and violence has entered children’s minds.”
Zakia, another mother in Shughnan district of Badakhshan province, says that the change in children’s attitudes and the shaping of their identity over the past five years has made Afghanistan’s future a source of concern. According to her, if this trend continues, some of these children may in the future gravitate toward groups even more extreme than the Taliban.
She says: “The children who are supposed to build Afghanistan’s future are growing up today with a mindset different from the past. My child, who attends a religious school, sometimes tells me at home to wear my chador properly and to show modesty in front of men, even though I am his mother. This kind of attitude worries me and shows that the prevailing atmosphere in society has affected children’s mindsets.”
Amir (pseudonym), a father in Panjshir province, also says that five years of Taliban rule have darkened the outlook for children’s futures in the province. He says that although some children still attend school, declining education quality, economic hardship, and continued restrictions on education, particularly for girls, have reduced learning opportunities and hope for the future.
He says: “Today, children’s futures in Panjshir are not as bright as they once were. Many families cannot afford the cost of their children’s education due to poverty, and as a result, several children are unable to continue their studies. Girls, too, are no longer allowed to continue their education after the sixth grade. This situation has caused many children to feel hopeless about their futures, with their aspirations becoming more limited than before.”
Meanwhile, several children who spoke with the Hasht-e Subh Daily say that despite their families’ encouragement to continue their education, they have grown doubtful about the impact of schooling on their futures. They say that in a society where, in their view, power and weapons are valued more than knowledge, motivation to continue education does not grow.
Sakhi Ahmad, a child in Ghazni province, says that before Taliban rule he dreamed of studying and contributing to the reconstruction of the country; but now his outlook on the future has changed. He says: “I used to think that if I studied, I could serve my country and achieve my dreams; but now I see that people who studied for years are under the command of those who have mostly received madrasa education. This has weakened my belief that education can change a person’s future.”
At the same time, several sociologists warn that the consequences of five years of Taliban rule are not limited to the denial of education but have also affected the formation of identity, attitudes, and the social development of the new generation.
Zia Nikzad, a sociologist, says that Afghanistan has undergone profound political, educational, cultural, and social changes since the fall of the republic in August 2021, and that children are among the most vulnerable groups to have experienced these changes.
According to him, the closure of schools and universities to girls, changes in educational content, and the growing emphasis on religious instruction have limited learning opportunities for children. He adds that this situation has deprived not only girls but also boys of an education suited to today’s needs.
Nikzad says: “Children who have grown up under Taliban rule over the past five years differ from previous generations. They are growing up in an environment where values, attitudes, and ways of viewing society have changed. In the past, girls and boys had equal educational opportunities, women’s presence in society was more prominent, and many people were hopeful about the country’s future and progress; but today this outlook has changed dramatically.”
Five years after the start of Taliban rule, millions of children in Afghanistan have grown up under conditions in which education, social opportunities, and prospects have changed significantly compared to previous generations. In the not-too-distant future, these children will enter universities, the labor market, and positions of decision-making, and will play a role in shaping Afghanistan’s future.
This comes as the United Nations (UN) has previously expressed concern over the situation of children under Taliban rule and has called for their protection from the consequences of the ongoing crisis.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
پنج سال در سایه طالبان؛ خانوادهها از تغییر نگرش و رفتار کودکان ابراز نگرانی میکنند
