A recent survey reveals the majority of social workers consider leaving children under 12 alone for long periods as neglect. While there are no specific laws in most US states regarding this, experts stress the importance of a child's maturity, developmental stage, and preparedness for being unsupervised.
No matter the intention behind OP’s actions, leaving a young child unattended comes with serious risks. According to the UK’sThe NSPCC also advises that children under 12 should not be left home alone , especially for long periods. This aligns with findings from a 2019that surveyed members of the National Association of Social Workers in the US, asking them what age they considered child neglect if kids were left home alone for four hours.
In the US, most states don’t have specific laws or guidelines about when children can be left alone. However, in scenarios where no laws were broken and no harm occurred, the majority of social workers still considered it neglect to leave children under a certain age alone:By comparison, only 11% of social workers thought leaving 12-year-olds alone was neglect, and just 1% said the same about 14-year-olds.
Experts believe that much depends on the child’s maturity, developmental stage, and preparedness for being unsupervised. “I certainly agree that 12 years of age and up for the most part, depending on how they are developmentally, is probably OK, but there also are 12-year-olds who are not able to handle it,”Dr. Suzanne Haney, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Child Abuse and Neglect. “So it’s really hard to give a safe age because of all the factors that play into it.
Oleksandra is an experienced copywriter from Ukraine with a master’s degree in International Communication. Having covered everything from education, finance, and marketing to art, pop culture, and memes, she now brings her storytelling skills to Bored Panda. For the past five years, she’s been living and working in Vilnius, Lithuania.Oleksandra is an experienced copywriter from Ukraine with a master’s degree in International Communication.
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CHILDREN SAFETY NEGLECT HOME ALONE MATURITY DEVELOPMENT
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