Why Hurt Children Hurt Children invites Singaporeans to step inside The Black Box — a confrontational, compassionate experience addressing the emotional harm that passes silently from one generation to the next
SINGAPORE, May 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — EveryChild.SG, Singapore’s movement for child wellbeing, announces the launch of Why Hurt Children Hurt Children — a social impact campaign and physical installation designed to open a national conversation about the language and behaviour adults use with children, and the long-term consequences of emotional harm on Singapore families across generations.
The centrepiece of the campaign is The Black Box — an immersive, built installation opening at One Punggol from 23 May 2026. Visitors will enter an enclosed space where wall prompts, bold typography, and an original film guide them through the reality of what children carry when the adults around them have never healed from their own childhoods.
About the Activation
The Black Box is not an exhibition. Upon entering, visitors encounter a series of prompts drawn from real experiences — phrases heard in Singapore homes, schools, and childhoods — paired with the silent film The Silent Spaces, which plays on a screen inside the installation. Shot across empty HDB corridors, quiet classrooms, and children’s bedrooms, the film asks audiences to listen to what is usually unheard: the sounds of emotional harm, the silences that follow, and the weight that children carry long after the adults in their lives have moved on.
The experience is designed to be immersive and emotionally honest. It is not meant to comfort, but to confront.
Upon exiting, visitors move into a Decompression Space — a deliberately designed area offering cards and resources that encourage conversation and reflection, and a trained support person for those who need a moment to process what they have experienced.
The Campaign
Why Hurt Children Hurt Children is built on a clear and confronting insight: adults who experienced emotional harm as children — through harsh words, comparison, shaming, physical punishment, or emotional neglect — often repeat those patterns without awareness, not out of cruelty, but because it is all they were taught.
The campaign does not assign blame. It names the cycle, and offers a way out of it.
Research from the Institute of Mental Health found that 46.5% of Singaporeans experienced emotional neglect during childhood. A 2025 study found that 61% of Singaporean university students reported childhood emotional abuse. The social and economic cost of such adverse childhood experiences is estimated at nearly SGD 1.2 billion annually in healthcare costs and lost productivity.
Why Hurt Children Hurt Children addresses this not through statistics alone, but through experience — giving Singaporeans a physical space in which to encounter these truths, reflect on their own childhoods and parenting, and leave with something they can do differently.
The Silent Spaces Film
The Silent Spaces is an original short original film produced for EveryChild.SG. Shot across real Singapore locations — in schools, empty void decks, a child’s bedroom — the film uses visual stillness and real stories to recreate the experience of emotional harm as children live it: present, invisible to everyone else, and long-lasting in its effect.
The film plays on a loop inside The Black Box, forming the emotional core of the installation. It is not a traditional documentary. There are no talking heads, and no resolution. The film ends the same way emotional harm so often does — quietly, without acknowledgment, leaving the audience to carry what they have witnessed.
The Silent Spaces will be released publicly following the activation period and submitted to relevant film festivals and social impact media platforms.
A Message on Why This Matters
“‘Why Hurt Children Hurt Children’ aims to break the silence on emotional harm passed unknowingly through generations. With nearly half of Singaporeans having experienced childhood emotional neglect – costing our society over a billion dollars annually – we must acknowledge how ‘hurt children’ grow up to hurt others. At EveryChild.SG, we believe healing begins when we choose awareness over habit, and compassion over silence, so our children can truly grow up safe, supported and loved.”
— Pooja Bhandari, Founder, EveryChild.SG
The Science Behind the Experience
The campaign’s wall panels and film content are grounded in peer-reviewed research, reviewed by trauma-informed practitioners. Neuroscience has established that social pain — rejection, shame, harsh criticism — activates the same regions of the brain as physical pain. The developing brain responds to physical punishment as a threat experience, activating the same stress pathways involved in fear and violence responses.
“In clinical practice, we often see adult struggles – from chronic anxiety to relationship difficulties – rooted in childhood emotional experiences that were never addressed. Hurt passed down through generations is not always about obvious abuse; it is often found in the ‘silent’ harms of emotional neglect and persistent shaming.
Public awareness campaigns like ‘Why Hurt Children Hurt Children’ can help individuals understand and name their experiences for the first time. This is a critical first step toward seeking help and healing, to prevent these harmful patterns from being passed down to the next generation.”
— Dr Adrian Loh, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Promises Healthcare.
Collaborators
Why Hurt Children Hurt Children was developed by EveryChild.SG, with contributions from a network of Singapore-based practitioners, researchers, and community organisations who share the campaign’s commitment to child wellbeing.
EveryChild.SG is Singapore’s movement to prioritise child wellbeing — conducting research, building public awareness, and partnering with government agencies and civil society organisations, to build a Singapore where every child grows up safe, supported, and loved.
A happy childhood can heal a lifetime, while an unhappy one can take a lifetime to heal. This campaign helps us reflect on how we treat children, so we can begin to break the cycle of hurt together.
— Lin Shiyun, Founder of 3Pumpkins and Tat Takut Kids Club
“As the nation embarks on an endeavor led by the government to address the dismal fertility rate of Singapore, EveryChild.SG’s campaign brings a much needed lens to the work. To shed light on the invisible wounds and burdens that weigh on a generation of people, unseen, untended, impacting their responses to parenthood and in parenting.
Understanding emotional harms is a critical step towards our collective wellbeing, towards healthier parenting, children and families.”
— Carrie Tan, former Member of Parliament and Healing Coach
Visitor Information
What: Why Hurt Children Hurt Children — The Black Box Installation
Where: One Punggol, 1 Punggol Dr., Singapore 828629
When: 23 – 31 May 2026
Hours: 10am – 8pm
Admission: Free and open to the public
Content Advisory: This installation contains audio and written content depicting emotional harm and difficult childhood experiences. Visitor discretion is advised. A trained support person will be present throughout the activation period. Resources are available at the Decompression Space on exit.
Age recommendation: 18 and above
About Every Child.SG
EveryChild.SG is a non-profit movement to prioritise the well-being and holistic development of children in Singapore. We believe every child deserves to grow up in a loving, safe and nurturing environment – at school, at home, and in the community – so that they can flourish as adults.
We work towards these goals through research, public engagement, and collaboration with government and civil society. Learn more at www.everychild.sg
Notes to editors: High-resolution images of the installation and film stills are available upon request. All photography and filming within The Black Box installation is subject to consent protocols. Further details available from the media contact above
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