How YouTube is spreading Americanisms to our kids

Words like 'candy' and 'garbage' are becoming the norm in UK classrooms, writes Charlotte Cripps, who explains why she's choosing to 'chill' over her daughter's language habits

- Charlotte Cripps

My youngest daughter, Liberty, seven, has an on-off American drawl, despite never having been to the US.

She loved all her Halloween “candy” on Friday. And while shopping at Zara on High Street Kensington yesterday, she said, “Mom, can we take the elevator?”

While words like “movie” and “film”, “chips” and “fries”, or “biscuits” and “cookies” can all coexist happily in English, it’s another thing when your child asks for a “supermarket cart” at Waitrose or a “takeout” rather than a “takeaway” - as my daughter regularly does. In fact, most of my children’s friends now speak Americanese fluently. One of them asked me where to put her “trash” - and she was born and raised in Kilburn.

While it used to be all about correcting children’s grammar, it’s now about reversing the trend of kids speaking with an American accent. According to new findings, Americanisms are creeping into classrooms throughout the UK, with words like “diaper”, “apartment”, “movie theatre”, “candy”, “elevator”, and “garbage” becoming the new norm - and US accents are also on the rise.

A survey by Teacher Tapp for The Times, which involved feedback from more than 10,000 teachers, found it is particularly prevalent among younger children in key stage 1 (up to the age of six or seven), which is exactly what I am witnessing on playdates and at home.