Children can’t always be children anymore. It’s a sad fact in a modern time.

But it’s simply not your grandmother’s world anymore.

School violence peaked in the late 1990s, forcing authorities to tighten security all around.

The end result means overly cautious measures are in order in all suspect cases.

We don’t know if the 16-year-old recently arrested for making bombs meant any harm. We do know he is innocent until proven guilty.

But we also know that authorities in Adams County, then Vidalia, had to err on the side of caution.

An arrest, interrogation and imprisonment followed, meaning this teen’s life will likely never be the same again.

Whether he intended harm or not, the boy made a bad decision when he carved out the pages of a textbook and placed an explosive device inside.

He’s still a juvenile, but he’s a juvenile in a modern world. He’s being held accountable for his actions, harmful or innocent.

The courts will eventually determine the teen’s fate. We hope the final judgment will merely reveal an inquisitive youth with a future in science.

But events from now until then tell the story of a changing world. As unfortunate as the situation may turn out to be, authorities must continue to be more safe than sorry.