THREE MORE STATE LEGISLATURES PASS OUR “REASONABLE CHILDHOOD INDEPENDENCE” BILL!

It’s spring – a great time for kids to play outside, walk to the store, or climb a tree. And three states—Florida, Georgia, and Missouri – have just passed legislation declaring it is not parental neglect or child endangerment to do that.Now those bills await their governors’ signatures to join the eight states that have enacted similar laws: Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, and Virginia.

Helicopter parenting should not be the law of the land.

The bills address a problem that shouldn’t BE a problem: Parents sometimes getting investigated or even arrested for neglect, simply for taking their eyes off their kids. That’s one reason it’s so rare to see children playing outside in many communities now. Adults are expected to supervise and micromanage their kids all the time.

But there’s hope! As you know, Let Grow has been working to make it “easy, normal, and legal” to give kids back some reasonable independence ever since we were founded in 2017. We see kids gain the confidence, resilience, and social skills needed for success when they have the chance to do some things on their own. Our school and community programs, as well as legal initiatives – all free — help adults “let go and let grow.”

Kids droop when micromanaged.

Increasingly, experts have been drawing a clear connection between constant adult supervision and the soaring rates of anxiety and depression in kids, fueling what is now seen as a youth mental health crisis. But, fearing arrest or child protection investigations, parents have been ever more reluctant to let their kids out of their sight, even when they know the kids are ready.

Legislation backed by Let Grow and allied groups on both the left and right clarifies that the mere fact that a child is “unsupervised” does not constitute neglect or child endangerment under state law.

As seen in “The Anxious Generation.”

In 2025, these efforts got an additional boost from Let Grow  co-founder Jonathan Haidt’s bestseller, The Anxious Generation. The last section of his book calls for passage of reasonable childhood legislation, saying: “The government’s job is to protect children from abuse, not from the everyday activities of childhood.”

On April 7, Georgia sent S.B. 110 to Gov. Kemp for signing. He has 45 days to review the legislation, which will become law unless he vetoes it.

The bill was spurred by the story of Brittany Patterson, the rural Georgia mom arrested in front of her family after her son, 10, walked less than a mile to town by himself, without incident. Patterson’s “crime” was that she had let him stay home while she took his older sibling to a medical appointment, not knowing that the boy would decide to take a walk on his own.

It shouldn’t be against the law to walk to town — or get a cookie.

The case sparked international outrage, but it wasn’t a total outlier. A few years earlier, Jason Widner,  then 7, was stopped multiple times by Georgia authorities for the “infraction of riding his bike in the park next to his home.” He and his mother testified in person in support of the bill. Pro bono lobbyist Jesse Weathington worked closely with Senate Majority Caucus Leader Jason Anivarte on SB 110, joined by  Kay Kirkpatrick, and Randy Robinson (all Senate Republicans) and Senate Democrat Jason Esteves, along with Rep. Eddie Lumsen (R.) in the House.

Florida quickly followed Georgia’s lead with its own Reasonable Childhood Independence bill, H.B. 1191. The effort was led by Rep. Monique Miller (R.), Miller was inspired after hearing a talk by Prof. Haidt in which he praised the efforts of Let Grow to enact reasonable independence protections. Rep. Leonard Spencer (D.) co-sponsored the House bill, with Sen. Erin Grall (R.) sponsoring the Senate’s companion bill,  S. 1286, co-introduced by Sen. Barbara Sharief (D.). It passed the Senate unanimously on April 9, and the House, also unanimously, on April 29. The identical bills now await Governor DeSantis’s signature.

But wait – there’s more!

April 29 was a great day for children in the heartland, too. On that date, the Missouri legislature passed a 66-page consolidated child welfare-focused bill that included “Reasonable Childhood Independence” provisions. Rep. Josh Hurlbert (R.) led the Missouri effort to include the Let Grow-backed language, which had  broad bipartisan support from child and family advocates, parents’ rights, and civil liberties groups alike. The Missouri measure will head to Governor Mike Kehoe’s desk shortly.

The Florida and Georgia bills will go into effect on July 1, 2025, while Missouri’s will take effect August 25, assuming the governors do not exercise their veto (which is considered unlikely given the broad bipartisan support each measure received).

Want your state to Let Grow?

Let Grow provides resources to support these legislative efforts, with efforts currently underway in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Oour Toolkit and Maps show where children’s independence is legally protected, and where work is still needed to ensure the simple right of kids to play on their own without their parents getting arrested or investigated for neglect.