Lack of opportunity for independence may be causing children's decline in mental health

It's well known that the mental health of children and teens seems to be deteriorating over time.

Some researchers have a theory.

"Our thesis is that a primary cause of the rise in mental disorders is a decline over decades in opportunities for children and teens to play, roam, and engage in other activities independent of direct oversight and control by adults."

They point out how society and culture has changed. It is less common for children to be sent off alone without direct supervision by an adult. It is less common for children to have independent responsibilities.

Even the structure of places where people live have changed. Suburbs built in modern times are much less walkable, it is more difficult for children to be able to go anywhere without an adult to drive them. There is less open space, and less open space nearby within walking distance from homes.

Arguably society has become a more dangerous place, and it is not safe for children to go off alone. Parents are much more likely to face legal consequences for not supervising their children.

In many areas there are fewer job opportunities available to children and teens than there once were, as a result of high amounts of foreign immigration.

Then many children are under intense academic pressures, with fears that even a modest middle class life may be out of reach to them if they are not able to make it through college.

The authors pointed out a survey in European countries that focused on how much independent mobility kids were given, which asked individuals "Can children walk home from school alone?" It showed independent mobility declined over the period 1990 to 2010.

Decline in Independent Activity as a Cause of Decline in Children’s Mental Well-being: Summary of the Evidence, Peter Gray, Journal of Pediatrics, published February 23, 2023

 

In Europe (I know....) it's a vital part of the education to give children freedom AND responsibilities. A German playground could not exist in the USA - way too dangerous. Parents who drive their children to school are called helicopter parents - children have to learn how to get to school alone.

But I know change is not easy for the USA. As you mentioned, the land was built for cars, not for children.

 

The lawsuit crazy court system and mentality of current American society has something to do with it. (Always looking for any excuse for gigantic payouts of money, and blaming big companies and societal institutions for anything that goes wrong)

In the U.S., in some areas, parents who send their small children off alone to walk to school have been arrested. Big city areas in the U.S. are not as safe as Germany.
(Though I suspect that is beginning to change in Germany)

Another small issue is that many schools in the U.S. have less funding, so middle school students are expected to have to bring their textbooks with them to school. These heavy textbooks can be a burden to carry, making it more difficult to walk to school.

Basically all the cities built before 1920 are very pedestrian friendly. The issue is that most American families with children live in the suburbs, which were built after 1945.

This is (in part) explained by the fact that from 1920 to 1960, the population of Germany only increased by 18%, whereas in the U.S. it increased 69%. So a much larger percentage of the cities were built after most people relied on cars.

 

I havn't seen any data that conclusively proves the 'outside world' is more dangerous for children than it was, say, 30-50 years ago. But even if it did, if 10% more children die from unsupervised activities, but 50% more of them go through life with debilitating mental illness from a lack of proper development, I think there would be strong argument for letting them be more independent and more in danger.

Of course this argument is understandably hard to make to people who have children... but its probably not as hard an argument to make to people who had children but lost them to mental illness as young adults.

 

I also suspect that a lot of these same factors that are leading to a negative impact on children's mental health are also factors leading parents to be more reluctant to have children.

For example, less outside open space nearby the home, and the practical inability of children to be able to get to school on their own. Or the more limited availability of jobs for younger teens. Or parents being reluctant to want their teens to work too much, because of the intense academic pressures.

 

Cause it's American means it's fine?

In cities children learn to use the public transport systems at age 6 or 7.

It's not a small, it's a big issue! What could be better investments into the future of one's country than schools? Even the 18% of GDP, that Gemany invests in education, are way too low. Gold standard isn't Germany, that's middle ranked, top notch is Finland.
And believe me, children are able to carry a load of five or six kilograms. And if not, why are the textbooks so heavy? Why not make them less heavy?

And this is fine?

I more and more get the feeling that the current situation is the best Americans can imagine and there is nothing to improve further. God's own Country, the Home of he Brave, got blind by the star spangled beams of it's own shine of glory?

 

Take a look at the new cities that have been built in Germany (after 1960, let's say). Are they as pedestrian friendly as the old cities?

 

Yes, they are - and those who aren't are pretty far in the process to pedestrian cities. But that's not the point. Why are there no discussions in the US society?

 

The US has traditionally had higher rates of diversity than countries in Europe. In large part after the end of racial segregation in the 1960s, new cities did not want to be too pedestrian friendly because it was believed it would attract the riff-raff, lower income groups, cause crime to increase, and eventually risk leading to those new neighborhoods deteriorating, with all the middle class people with money wanting to move away.

Pedestrian-friendly cities have been able to work with upper middle class people in the US only in city areas that are so expensive that it priced out all the lower income groups. For example, New York City began to experience "urban decay" in the late 1970s and 80s, but then later began to gentrify beginning in the mid-90s.

Also, before about 1912, US cities in "the North" did not have very significant African American populations. The North was where America's biggest cities were at the time. (with the partial exception of St. Louis, where only 7% of the population was African American in 1900).

 

Obviously because race (ethnic group) is involved, discussion about the real issue can be very awkward and uncomfortable (for both political sides).

Academic literature covering the history of US cities seems to steer clear of the issue. Even though arguably it has had a profound impact on where and how people in the country live.

This isn't the only issue causing things to be the way they are, of course, but is a large part of it.

 

So cities have been destroyed to hinder poor people to destroy them? Well, that's suicide because being afraid of the death

 

I’ll be forever grateful my parents let me grow up in the hills, mountains and creeks instead of buildings, playgrounds and streets.

Started riding my bike the 5 miles to school about 2nd grade (with my brother 3 years my senior). School didn’t give homework so if I wasn’t milking or feeding critters or gardening I was crawling through irrigation tunnels, rolling boulders down cliffs, playing in the creek, making/setting off fireworks, or riding dirt bikes/mountain bikes completely unsupervised after school until dark. Same thing all summer.

I can’t imagine growing up like most kids do today. Probably is depressing and stifling. I feel bad for them.

 

Ha.

Absolutely spot on. Between here and where I ride to work (I'm in Germany now) there is a Parkour course, completely open to the public and with rope bridges and obstacle courses including a loop that goes from tree to tree about halfway up the trunk many metres off the ground. Would be absolutely illegal in almost any other country. It's an amazing culture really.

Now of course, Germans are extremely sensitive about other things

 

Yes, we are....

A friend of mine is pedagogue at a Waldkindergarten (kindergarten in the woods). Thie kids learn and play to whole day in the woods, besides one hour in a little shelter to take a nap. Twelve month per year.
Take a look into a Danish one:

 

That’s awesome. I have some friends/acquaintances that run a private school focused on practical learning and the outdoors. Lots of recess time and yep, if it’s snowing they still all go outside. They have kept adding grade levels. It’s K-12 now and all the kids play together.

They also have a small functioning agricultural business with cattle and greenhouses etc. that the kids work and learn with.

I wish there was more of what you posted going on. Humans have been learning and growing in nature for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s only in the last few hundred years that’s really changed. We aren’t made to sit at desks for hours as kids.