For too long, the government has acted as if any child venturing out unsupervised is in danger—and has negligent parents.
State lawmakers are mulling a law that would establish commonsense protections for families that give their children a reasonable amount of independence.
Lawmakers cite examples of parents who were investigated for letting their kids play outside and walk to the store, among other ordinary childhood activities.
The famous novel portrays kids as savages when left to their own devices. But is that actually true?
Nick and Shaley Knickerbocker’s story shows how some people’s idea of “neglect” goes well beyond real risk.
A routine neighborhood soccer game was escalated into a state investigation, illustrating how ordinary parenting disputes are increasingly routed through government systems.
Despite a new state law protecting childhood independence, child welfare officials accused these Atlanta parents of neglect—and put their family under surveillance.
Parents faced arrests, investigations, and fear-driven rules—but there was also meaningful progress toward making independence normal again.
Months after his 7-year-old was struck and killed, prosecutors are still treating a tragedy as a crime—holding a bereaved father under surveillance and keeping the grieving family apart.
After her husband’s ex repeatedly called child protective services over harmless parenting decisions, Hannah Bright is advocating for a new law to protect families from weaponized reporting.
The superintendent blamed the “significant liability the district assumes whenever we are transporting students.”
Pennsylvania’s “Reasonable Independence for Children” bill pushes back on overzealous child neglect laws.
A Texas couple lost their children for six months after a doctor blamed a fragile infant’s medical crises on abuse.
Five-year-old William woke early and snuck out for Chick-n-Minis. When cops were called, they spared the boy’s parents, breaking from their all-too-common habit of arresting and charging parents with neglect.
A mom who trusted her kids to play outside ended up under repeated investigation.
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.
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