Be not afraid: The world is safer than ever

Should a six-year-old be allowed to ride his bike around the neighborhood without adult supervision? A mother who asked Slate for advice was told that letting her son out of her sight was "absolutely unacceptable." The American Academy of Pediatrics “advises age 11 or 12 is when most children are developmentally ready to be unsupervised," the Slate columnist said.

Parents can teach kids to be independent safely, responds Lenore Skenazy on Let Grow.

The knee-jerk reaction that independence could lead to danger completely forgets the yin to that yang. Yes, a child could meet an unleashed dog outside. They could also grow anxious, depressed, obese, worried, sad, and lonely when they are “safe” inside.

That's been the trend for more than two generations now, according to this study, Skenazy writes.

She's written about parents accused of child neglect for letting their kids play in the neighborhood park or go for a walk without an escort. Let Grow is working to pass Reasonable Childhood Neglect laws that "clarify 'neglect' is only when you put your child in obvious and serious danger – not anytime you take your eyes off them."

Things were not "safer 30 years ago," as the worried mother tells her less-anxious husband. "Crime peaked in the early 90s and has been going down (with some blips) ever since," Skenazy writes.

Crimes against children are way down since 1992, according to federal data, writes Chad Aldeman. So is childhood mortality. In part, that's due to seatbelts in cars and bicycle helmets. "States have imposed graduated licenses for new drivers, and teenagers today are less likely to drink or smoke or party." The world is safer than it used to be.

Children need to "take some risks and responsibility" as they learn to "manage the world on their own," he concludes. Raising them to fear the world won't make them safer.