Don’t be a worrying helicopter parent.
A new poll revealed that most U.S. parents are wary of letting their teenagers venture out on their own — despite it possibly being detrimental to their personal growth and development.
The team at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor surveyed over 1,000 parents across the country with children ages 13 to 18, originally reported on by Science News.
The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health found that fewer than half of parents would allow their teen to stay alone in a hotel room while they stepped out for breakfast.
Even fewer — about one-third — would permit their teen to walk alone to a nearby coffee shop, and only one in five parents said they’d be comfortable with their teen exploring an amusement park or museum solo.
More drastically, one in five parents say they have never allowed their teen to be away from them while on a trip.
Experts have long warned that today’s children are growing up with fewer chances for independent play and exploration.
Compared to previous generations, teens today are less likely to walk or bike to school alone or even hold part-time jobs, thanks to their paranoid parents.
This drop in autonomy comes alongside a worrying rise in mental health issues among teens, including anxiety and depression.
While some researchers caution against drawing direct connections between the mental health crisis and parents’ protectiveness, others are more certain of the correlation.
“It’s absolutely no surprise to me that we are seeing these dramatic rises in anxiety, depression, even suicide among teenagers,” Boston College psychologist Peter Gray told Science News.
However, he noted there’s still hope.
“If we reach some families and just approach this upcoming summer a little differently, I feel like that’s a big win,” Gray said.
Experts suggest that allowing your child to give input on where you vacation and setting rules allows parents and teens to set boundaries that both are comfortable with.
For example, most parents agreed that having teens check in by phone (64%), asking them to stay with friends or siblings (62%), and telling them to stay in agreed-upon locations (55%) would bring them comfort while allowing kids to find their independence
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