A new poll finds that children crave real-world play with friends, not more screen time. But we’ve made that nearly impossible.
Most parents say they wouldn’t let their teen wander alone on vacation. But a study shows that declining independence in children could be feeding anxiety and depression.
“You could end up with a ticket or a trip to the emergency room.”
Letting children walk alone isn’t a crime. But in North Carolina, prosecutors are treating it like one.
A new Georgia law could protect Alexandra Woodward's parental decision—but it doesn't go into effect until July.
"That guy isn't being trafficked by anyone," says sociologist Emily Horowitz.
"What is the end game here? Can you write a citation? Can you take me to jail?"
"Some people think that this is not one of those things that's super important—until you're affected by it," says David DeLugas.
"I happen to be a tax-and-spend liberal," says Richard Wexler, "but this bill provides not one iota of additional help."
"Make childhood great again," says state Sen. Lincoln Fillmore.
These products can give kids independence and parents peace of mind.
Here's hoping for a free-range 2025!
"Take a moment to appreciate all that they can learn from trying to complete the task on their own," says Yale University's Julia Leonard.
Thankfully, a judge reunited the Boatright family last week.
"I was not panicking as I know the roads and know he is mature enough to walk there without incident," says Brittany Patterson.
In the Netherlands, kids grow up with more independence than in the United States.
Kirstie Allsopp posted online about her teen son's trip around Europe. Then someone reported her to the government.
Bad policy and paranoid parenting are making kids too safe to succeed.
"I never thought that this was even humanly possible," says Sabra Brucker.
Online trolls weaponized child protective services against J.D. and Britney Lott and their eight children.
"Can a child not ride her bike on the street in this neighborhood anymore?"
A pilot study encouraged parents to let their kids go free-range.
Thanks for the heads up, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
"It really feels as though maybe we've lost touch with what's developmentally appropriate," says one Montgomery County mom.
It took a lot of work to clear this quiz show milestone.
This new school-to-parent pipeline allows parents to micromanage yet another aspect of their kids' lives.
Young people need independent play in order to become capable adults.
"You just can't raise kids like that anymore—it isn't safe," the cops told the Widner family.
A recent Pew survey says parents are "very involved in their young adult children's lives," but one might quibble with the definition of "very involved."
More like total eclipse of the fun.
A new white paper from the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends more unstructured play time for kids.
From bite marks to shaken babies, the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences is debunking bad science.
"The fear of liability is ruining modern childhood," says one mom.
And some good news, after all.
"People understand that these child abuse pediatricians have unlimited power," says Aaron Rapier, an attorney for the Kruegers.
Students in four Oklahoma school districts are also required to wear their school ID on a lanyard and sit on their own team's side.
Adam Nesteikis didn't even understand what he had done wrong.
A new study shows the pervasiveness of helicopter parenting.
These kinds of poisonings are rare to nonexistent.
In her new book From Rage to Reason, Emily Horowitz explains what's wrong with the sex offense registry.
Let's celebrate her return without exaggerating the relevant dangers; stranger abductions are rare.
This could be just the tip of the (m)iceberg.
"This is literally a playground that's for 2- to 5-year-olds," says former preschool teacher Katie Courtney.
"You don't have to punish me because I am already punishing myself," says Tabitha Frank.
"Nobody is abducting 1- and 4-year-old kids into sex trafficking," says the director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center.
New reasonable childhood independence laws in these states will make it easier for parents to let children enjoy the holiday.
In the U.S., we arrest parents who let their 8-year-olds walk half a mile.
Do you care about free minds and free markets? Sign up to get the biggest stories from Reason in your inbox every afternoon.
This modal will close in 10
