A latchkey kid is a child who is regularly left at home without adult supervision after school or other activities, whether alone or with similarly unsupervised siblings. The term originated in a 1942 CBC radio program describing the effect of the Second World War on Canadian children, when fathers left for military service and mothers entered the workforce with little childcare available to replace them. It became a widely used description of children in the nineteen seventies and eighties, a period marked by rising divorce rates and greater maternal workforce participation without a matching expansion of childcare, and research on the period found that this generation, mostly from middle and upper class households, was among the least supervised in American history during its formative years. The phenomenon reflected broader shifts in family structure and the economy rather than poverty, which distinguishes it from earlier forms of unsupervised childhood. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Core ClaimA child who returns to an empty home after school or is often left at home with no supervision 1 FAQs
Is being a latchkey kid always harmful to a child?
No. The effects depend on the child's age and on how much there is to do at home.
No. The effects differ with age. Children younger than ten most often experience loneliness, boredom and fear, while early teens are more open to peer pressure, which can lead to behavior such as alcohol use, drug use and smoking. If the home offers enough stimulation, such as books, computers, games or solitary hobbies, the negative effects can be averted. Positive effects include independence and self-reliance at a young age.
Sources
1. Latchkey kid (Wikipedia)
Etymology section
How War Affects Canadian Children" in 1942
Lead section
A latchkey kid, or latchkey child, is a child who returns to an empty home after school (or other activities) or a child who is often left at home with no supervision.
View the SourceLatchkey Kid (Wikipedia)
Lead sectionQuote, Lead section
A latchkey kid, or latchkey child, is a child who returns to an empty home after school (or other activities) or a child who is often left at home with no supervision.
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