The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie How We Criminalized Childhood
Sep 10, 2025
Lenore Skenazy, a journalist and activist known as 'the world's worst mom,' discusses the current state of childhood independence. She shares insights on how over-parenting and exaggerated fears have criminalized typical childhood activities, leading to increased anxiety in kids. Skenazy highlights the growing free-range parenting movement and initiatives like Let Grow that advocate for children's autonomy. They explore how societal pressures and changing narratives around safety impact parenting, emphasizing the need for balance between safety and freedom.
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Shared Rise In Anxiety
- Children and parents both show rising anxiety and depression in parallel, not coincidentally linked.
- Lenore Skenazy argues constant parental presence and oversight contribute to both generations' mental-health decline.
Everyday Independence Has Been Curtailed
- Polling shows roughly half of parents restrict basic unsupervised activities like going to another aisle or walking the neighborhood.
- This demonstrates a normalized, widespread lockdown of children's independent movement.
Abduction Fear vs. Reality
- Parents overestimate stranger-abduction risk by astronomical margins; Skenazy cites a computation showing it's effectively vanishing.
- That distorted fear drives policies and behaviors far out of proportion to real danger.
