The presence of very young children in the gym - in the opinion of the creators of this site - is plainly put: a huge NO NO.
Bodybuilding might be a highly beneficial and healthy sport for most involved, however, what it’s not: is a sport for children.
Children generally do not possess the capacity to focus for longer periods of time, and focus is something necessary for a right gym atmosphere. When running around playing catch among the barbells and dumbbells, they don’t only endanger themselves but also distract others and can be rather annoying.
A factor that can bring young kids to gym is television. As they see many - physically well developed - actors on screen, they might hit the gym in an attempt to identify with their idol. It’s all the more dangerous, when children are brought to gym by their parents. These parents are often misled by the idea that the younger one starts doing something the better they’ll be at it when older. There are people who develop faster than others, however there’s a fine line between a 16 year old with a near-mature physique and a child whose bone structure is not even nearly done growing. Training with heavy weights can be extremely dangerous on growing bones, it can lead to the stop of growth or in extreme cases malformations.
Despite all these, the idea that the younger you start the further you get, has something to it. The only thing one has to be careful though is that the person in question should have an organism that’s already begun to mature. Even then, the transition to serious training should be a lengthy one as it can take from a few months to a year only to properly learn the exercises.
A person starting early does have more chances for a longer career in bodybuilding, however having the patience to do things properly can mean the difference between spending that career as the barrel shaped midget from the Lord of the Rings instead of the wide shouldered tall Greek statue lookalike he was hoping to be.
All the above do not mean that children shouldn’t be participating in any sports before maturity. They should be doing gymnastics exercises and other athletic activities that help develop the body’s full physical potential.