Although the method seems innocent enough, it requires a past history of punitive authoritarianism to produce children docile enough to obey. Proponents claim that time-out is not a form of punishment. Regrettably, this non-threatening terminology has deluded parents into thinking that the approach is harmless. From a child's point of view, time-out is definitely experienced as punishment. It is quite likely that children view this form of isolation as abandonment and loss of love.
Nothing is more frightening for a child than the withdrawal of love.
Along with the fear come insecurity, anxiety, confusion, anger, resentment, and low self-esteem. Time-out can also cause embarrassment and humiliation, especially when used in the presence of other children. In the child's realm of experience, time-out is nothing short of punitive. Proponents of the approach admit that it is effective only up until the age of about nine. Teens who have any sense of their own self-worth will laugh at such a command.