Both reasons you give may have some validity. I think childhood development, including at least an extended period of the prepubescent years is where it is at. So what would be wrong with wanting to not enhance that with a biased public exercise, if say parental(or societal) immaturity or ignorance or just malice, were part of it? I think those things are.
I am perplexed that you would want to say what LA Reader said. He was pretty clearly not following what I was saying and he was aggressive and haughty with his first post in rebuttal. My question about his family was a much more mild turnabout on that.