The Words We Carry: The impact of childhood emotional harm

Emotional wounds are often invisible, but their effects can last long into adulthood. A new campaign by EveryChild.SG is encouraging Singaporeans to reflect on how childhood experiences can shape the way people grow up, parent and interact with others.

Titled Why Hurt Children Hurt Children, the social impact campaign aims to spark a national conversation around the language and behaviours adults use with children, and the lasting impact emotional harm can have across generations. At the centre of the campaign is The Black Box, an immersive installation opened at One Punggol on 23 May 2026.

How words can leave lasting scars

While conversations around childhood wellbeing often focus on parents, the campaign is also intended for anyone who interacts with children. Whether it is family members, teachers, friends, caregivers or adults who simply play a role in a child’s life, nearly everyone influences a child’s experience in some way. At some point, most people will care for, guide or interact with a child. The campaign asks a larger question of society: how do the words and behaviours of adults shape the children around them, and what happens when those patterns continue unnoticed?

Before visitors even step inside The Black Box, the experience begins from the outside. The installation exterior is covered with striking quotes and statistics designed to stop people in their tracks. Phrases such as “Are you stupid?” and “Everything also don’t know” sit alongside findings including “In Singapore, 61 per cent of university students report experiencing emotional abuse as children.” The contrast between familiar words and hard numbers serves as a reminder that what some may dismiss as everyday comments can leave lasting emotional effects.

Inside The Black Box: An immersive journey through emotional harm

Unlike a traditional exhibition, this is designed as an emotional experience rather than an educational display. Visitors enter an enclosed space where they encounter prompts inspired by real experiences and phrases commonly heard in homes, schools and childhood settings in Singapore. These are paired with an original film titled The Silent Spaces, which serves as the emotional centrepiece of the installation.

Shot across familiar local settings such as HDB corridors, classrooms and children’s bedrooms, The Silent Spaces recreates experiences of emotional harm through stillness and silence. Throughout the film, audiences hear phrases that many may find painfully familiar: “Maybe there’s no hope for you after all”, “What can you actually do?” and “Useless.” Rather than dramatic confrontations, these are the everyday words and moments that can linger quietly in a child’s mind long after they are spoken. Instead of offering clear answers or resolution, the film invites viewers to sit with uncomfortable realities that often go unnoticed or left unspoken.

A space for healing and conversation

The experience does not end when visitors leave. At the end of the installation, visitors move into a reflection and decompression space designed to encourage conversation and emotional processing. One feature invites people to write on a blackboard answering the question: “What do you wish you heard growing up?” creating a collective space for visitors to share words they may have needed as children and opening the door to conversations that are often left unsaid.

For those who may find it difficult to put emotions into words, there is also a quiet space where visitors can sit and use emotion flash cards to help express how they are feeling. The cards were created by a local artist in collaboration with EveryChild.SG to help people identify and communicate emotions that may otherwise feel difficult to verbalise. Trained professionals are also available onsite for anyone who may need support or someone to talk to about experiences from their own childhood.

Understanding childhood emotional harm

The campaign is built around a difficult but important insight: many adults who experienced emotional harm during childhood may unintentionally repeat those same patterns with the next generation. The issue is framed not as one of blame, but of awareness and understanding.

Research cited by the campaign highlights the scale of the issue in Singapore. Findings from the Institute of Mental Health reported that 46.5% of Singaporeans experienced emotional neglect during childhood, while another study found that 61% of university students surveyed reported experiences of childhood emotional abuse. The broader social and economic impact of adverse childhood experiences is estimated at close to 1.2 billion annually through healthcare costs and lost productivity.

The campaign also highlights findings from neuroscience research suggesting that social pain, including rejection, shame and harsh criticism, can activate similar regions of the brain associated with physical pain. The effects of emotional experiences during childhood can therefore shape wellbeing in ways that extend far beyond childhood itself.

For founder Pooja Bhandari, who is also a mother of two, the campaign is deeply personal and rooted in the belief that healthier futures begin with understanding and healing past experiences.

“Healing begins when people choose awareness over habit, and compassion over silence, so children can grow up feeling safe, supported and loved.”

Mental health professionals also see the impact of unresolved childhood experiences in adulthood. Dr Adrian Loh, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Promises Healthcare, notes that struggles such as chronic anxiety and relationship difficulties can often be traced back to emotional experiences that were never properly addressed. Public awareness initiatives, he says, can help people recognise and understand these experiences as a first step towards healing.

Through Why Hurt Children Hurt Children, EveryChild.SG hopes to encourage Singaporeans to pause, reflect and begin conversations that may ultimately help break cycles of emotional harm for future generations. EveryChild.SG is a non profit movement that aims to prioritise the wellbeing and holistic development of children in Singapore, focusing on creating greater awareness and building safer, more supportive environments for children to grow and thrive.

Exhibition details

Why Hurt Children Hurt Children — The Black Box Installation will take place at One Punggol, located at 1 Punggol Drive, Singapore 828629, from 23 to 31 May 2026. The installation will be open daily from 10am to 8pm and admission is free for all visitors. As the experience explores difficult emotional themes and childhood experiences, it carries a PG13 age recommendation, with parental guidance advised for visitors under 18.