Parents, teachers, and even strangers in the grocery line often say they can “just tell” when a kid is headed for trouble. Online, people Are Sharing Signs That a Child Is Going To Grow Up To Be An Awful Human Being, turning everyday encounters into case studies in entitlement, cruelty, and neglect. Behind the viral anecdotes, though, researchers and clinicians describe a more nuanced picture, where early behavior, family dynamics, and trauma interact long before anyone becomes “a bad person.”
Experts stress that no single habit dooms a child, but patterns of aggression, low empathy, and manipulation, especially when adults ignore them, can harden into antisocial traits. The warning signs that worry professionals most are less about messy rooms or eye rolls and more about how a child treats other people when they think no one is watching.
Low empathy, cruelty and the “nice when adults are watching” kid
One of the clearest red flags people describe is a child who seems to enjoy other people’s pain. Caregivers notice when a kid laughs as a sibling cries, mocks a classmate who is hurt, or shows no sympathy for characters who are suffering in books or films, behavior that specialists flag as a sign a child Doesn’t show sympathy and may need deliberate guidance to develop empathy. Educators and psychologists also point to children who Laughs or shrugs when others are upset, Ignores peers’ distress, or Shows little interest in making amends after causing harm as having “low empathy” profiles that can foreshadow serious relational problems later on.
Online discussions echo that concern, with adults recalling kids who were sweet and helpful in front of parents but turned cold or vicious with classmates once authority figures left the room. One widely shared comment described more concern for the child who acts nice and helpful and kind when adults are present, then bullies or humiliates others in private, a pattern Reddit users framed as a stronger predictor of future character than open misbehavior. In a separate thread, people highlighted Aggressive behavior or even being destructive, along with self-centered kids who control their parents, as early signs of someone who may grow into an adult who treats others as disposable.
Psychologists link these patterns to deeper traits. Research on psychopathy notes that More generally, lack of empathy may be part of a broader set of personality traits that develop abnormally early in life, often shaped by both biology and the behavior children see modeled at home. Clinicians who work with Antisocial Personality Disorder warn that Manipulate and Exploit tendencies, along with a tendency to Disregard the rights and feelings of others, can start with seemingly small acts of lying, stealing, or calculated cruelty in childhood. Community anecdotes about kids who torment animals, destroy others’ belongings, or show no remorse line up with clinical descriptions of Childhood antisocial behavior, where Misbehavior is common but becomes worrisome when it is repeated and persistent and includes deliberate harm.
Entitlement, bullying and the parenting choices that feed them
Beyond outright cruelty, many adults say their alarm bells ring around entitlement. Commenters describe kids who expect others to clean up after them, refuse basic courtesy, or melt down when told “no,” patterns summed up in one viral thread as They have an entitled attitude and believe rules are for other people. In another discussion, adults pointed to families where When you give them everything and they still want the other person’s toy, and where there is no real punishment, no follow through, as breeding grounds for future bullies. Teachers add that some parents rush to defend their child at any cost, dismissing reports of harm, a dynamic that leaves targets unprotected and the aggressor unchecked.
Professionals who work with bullying behavior see similar themes. Specialists note that Additionally, kids who don’t show compassion or empathy and do not think about other people’s feelings may be on a path toward chronic bullying if adults do not intervene. Some therapists describe how Denial of toxic behaviors inside a family, where Many caregivers minimize or excuse cruelty “to keep the peace,” can teach children that hurting others has no real consequence. Online, people Are Sharing Signs That a Child Is Going To Grow Up To Be An Awful Human Being that often boil down to this mix of entitlement, lack of accountability, and parents who are more focused on protecting their child’s image than addressing the harm.
Teachers also point to parenting choices that unintentionally blunt empathy. Some describe parents handing a tablet to a sobbing child after a serious incident instead of talking through what happened, noting that Of course, devices have their place, but they should never replace human connection after strong emotional events when kids need adults to acknowledge how bad things were. Mental health providers add that Humans have an extended childhood in order to maximize social, emotional, cognitive, and conscience facilitating experiences, and when children are left to cope alone or only with screens, they miss chances to practice pro-social repair. Over time, a child who never has to apologize, share, or tolerate frustration can become the teenager who sees classmates as props and the adult who treats partners and colleagues the same way.
When troubling traits cross into clinical risk – and how much is on the adults
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