In Illinois, a mother was cited for child neglect after letting three of her children under the age of 11 play at a nearby park. In Georgia, a mother was arrested after her 10-year-old son took a walk less than a mile from their home.
Those parents were punished under strict child neglect laws that unfairly target parents for allowing their children to play and socialize independently, according to Utah Rep. Blake Moore. Now, he wants to change that.
“What (we’re) trying to do is make sure that parents would not be targeted or accused of neglect for letting their children do basic, normal things that any upbringing should have a part of,” Moore told the Deseret News in an interview on his new bill.
The proposal, titled the Promoting Childhood Independence and Resilience Act, would clarify the definition of neglect under federal law to ensure parents aren’t at risk of being punished for allowing their children to engage in “independent play.”
The bill would also require the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on how states can best support parents and ensure federal grants given to states for child abuse or neglect prevention can be used to educate child welfare staff on the benefits of independent activities.
Are kids inside too much?
The legislation comes as children increasingly spend time indoors and online, which has led to a rise in anxiety, depression and a lack of social skills. That trend has only been exacerbated by federal laws threatening investigation, separation or even arrest for parents who are accused of child neglect.
“It builds on states’ efforts to do this, but it clarifies that reasonable independence is not neglect,” Moore said. “Parents don’t need to be overly concerned that they’re going to be accused of neglect for letting their child walk to the park that’s down the street.”
Moore acknowledged concerns about keeping children safe, noting parents should still establish standards within their families to prioritize safety. But his bill, he says, would specifically open the door for children to have independent experiences without parents getting caught in the crosshairs.
“You’ll never hear me on record as ever saying that parents shouldn’t be concerned about the safety of their kids,” Moore said. “Every parent should be absolutely concerned about it. And you need to put measures in place to make sure that there is safety there. But they still need unstructured playtime.”
The bill mirrors efforts from individual states that have already established so-called “free-range parenting” laws that protect independent activities as permissible under law. Those activities include walking or biking to school alone, traveling to nearby commercial or recreational facilities, playing outside, sitting in a vehicle unattended, or other instances.
Utah was the first state to establish statewide free-range parenting laws in 2018, and 12 other states have so far followed suit.
The bill has already garnered bipartisan support, with one House Democrat co-sponsoring the legislation. Moore framed the legislation as a proposal that transcends party lines and instead helps give support to lower-income or single-parent families as well as families where both parents have jobs.