ObjectivesThis cross‐sectional study aimed to ascertain the opinions of children towards older people and how these opinions change according to the age of the children.MethodsThe study was conducted with Turkish primary and secondary school students. A questionnaire developed after consulting the relevant literature was used to gather data on student demographics and their opinions about older people, including the domains of stereotypes of physical and personal characteristics.ResultsA total of 968 children (mean ± SD: 11.77 ± 1.61 years) were recruited. Older children have both positive and negative stereotypes towards older people, compared to younger children. These data suggest that as children get older, they do not appear to have more negative thoughts towards older people.ConclusionsEarly childhood may be a crucial time for preventing ageism and fostering children's positive opinions towards older people.