Children have the right to some independence, and parents have the right to give it to them — without getting investigated for neglect.

That’s why I’m thrilled that legislators in five states are hoping to pass “Reasonable Childhood Independence” laws this year. And another five states may follow suit.

Bipartisan sponsors, who often disagree on just about everything else, are working together to make it clear that parents have the right to decide when their children can play, walk, bike, and generally just be children without constant adult supervision. “Neglect” and “child endangerment” are only when parents put their children in obvious, serious danger — not anytime they take their eyes off their children.

Parents shouldn’t have to second-guess their rational decisions about letting their children, say, cross the street or climb a tree. While these may not be 100 percent risk-free — nothing is. Not walking down the stairs, not eating solid food, not getting into a tub — but no one questions parents who let their children do those things.

So why question the parents who let their children leave the house without a security detail?

Lots of folks are thinking that way now. So on February 5, the Georgia Senate Majority Caucus leader, Jason Anavitarte, was joined by state Senators Randy Robertson and Jason Esteves to introduce SB 110. The bill declares that children do not need constant supervision.

Florida legislators anticipate introducing a similar law shortly, with the effort led by state Representative Monique Miller and state Senators Erin Grall and Leonard Spencer.

Both states’ bills are gathering momentum in part due to the international story of Georgia mom Brittany Patterson, arrested because her son, age 10, took a walk to town without telling anybody. A passerby saw him and called the police. Law enforcement handcuffed Ms. Patterson in front of her children and threw her in jail.

Additional interest in Reasonable Childhood Independence laws has been sparked by the bestselling book “The Anxious Generation” by my Let Grow cofounder Jonathan Haidt. It cites Let Grow’s legislative work as a key initiative that can help reduce children’s anxiety and depression by increasing their independence. It can help decrease parental anxiety too.

Most states’ child protection laws define neglect as the inability or unwillingness of a parent to provide “proper supervision.” Only who decides what is “proper”? Too often, these laws allow government caseworkers to impose their own ideas of what good parenting is.

Moreover, parents in poverty — say, moms working two shifts — worry that letting their child come home with a latchkey could be mistaken for neglect. Helicopter parenting shouldn’t be the law. It is a luxury.

In Missouri, state Representative Josh Hurlbert has introduced HB 570. In 2024, he introduced a similar Reasonable Childhood Independence bill that received unanimous support but did not get a final vote before the legislature closed last spring.

In Nebraska, state Senator Terrell McKinney has introduced LB 462. The bill was heard in the Judiciary Committee on February 7.

Michigan state Senators Jeff Irwin and Ed McBroom plan to reintroduce SB 547 and SB 548 shortly, companion bills that were taken up before the Michigan Senate Housing and Human Services Committee last spring.

Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Virginia, and Montana have already passed similar measures.

Meanwhile, preliminary discussions with legislative leaders and advocates in states from California to Pennsylvania are laying the groundwork for potential legislative action later in 2025 or 2026.

Nonprofits across the political spectrum, from the conservative Parental Rights Foundation to the American Civil Liberties Union, have joined Let Grow to promote and testify in support of these laws, as have many child and family advocacy groups.

This legislation not only gives parents peace of mind and explicit legal protection, it also helps preserve states’ limited child protective resources for the abused children who need them most. Win/win/win/win.

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