There is a long history of white society seeing black children as older, innately evil, and animal-like. Google the history of pickaninnies for more on that.
I read an article that referenced turn of the century pediatric literature. Doctors described black infants as having smaller brains, wider noses, thicker lips, and “simian” hands and feet. Doctors posited that black children’s frontal lobes closed up during adolescence which caused their brains to stop learning and their genitals over-developed. They then became a sexual threat to whites. (Full disclosure: I haven’t been able to externally verify this yet.)
I think most people today no longer view black children as animal-like. But the idea that black children are older than they really are and that black children are more inclined toward criminality is still taking its toll.
Several studies have shown that people view black children as older, especially if they are described as being associated with a crime. White children described as being associated with the same crime are assumed to be younger.
A recent study on unintentional biases showed that black male children as young as five years old trigger the feeling of being threatened in white adults.
KG, my four-year old black daughter, is really big for her age. She's super tough and very physical (thanks to having an older brother she wants to emulate). I love these things about her, but they also make me cringe a little because they feed into this stereotype of black children. Based on comments she's been making recently, she's starting to pick up on how others view her, and she doesn't like it.
This makes me fear for her future. Her childhood innocence will be taken from her much too soon.
References:
Study
http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp-a0035663.pdf
Interview with one of the study's authors
http://www.npr.org/2014/03/19/291405871/consequences-when-african-american-boys-are-seen-as-older
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