IOWA CITY, Iowa (WHOTV) — A new study by the University of Iowa asked hundreds of experts how old children should be before their parents leave them home alone.
A survey of 500 social workers found most of them agreed kids should be at least 12 years old before they are left alone for four hours or more.
The majority of social workers surveyed felt it would be considered neglect if the child was 10 or younger. However, that is only as long as there were no injuries and no state laws on the topic.
Iowa does not have a minimum age law determining if a child can be left home alone. Experts say that every child is different and they advise parents to talk with their pediatricians.
Read more about the study here.
The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service conducted a similar study in 2016 and also found that age 12 was the minimum age to leave a child alone. Like Iowa, Arkansas does not have a minimum age law.
Read the UA study here.
5NEWS contributed to this report.
