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The rate of child deaths due to unintentional injury has fallen by over half from 1970 to 2007 for children 1-14.[1] With the current population of US children,
by elil17 5y ago
The rate of child deaths due to unintentional injury has fallen by over half from 1970 to 2007 for children 1-14.[1] With the current population of US children, this means about 100-200 fewer child deaths per year.
Consumer protection lawsuits have done a lot to keep people safe.
That said, there needs to be balance. Keeping kids indoors for fear of kidnapping is ridiculous. Keeping kids away from real science is also probably a bad idea. But modern playground equipment safety regulations, as an example, are really good, even if they do mean no more spiny things.
[1]: https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/healthitBACKUPJan6-17/HealthITArchive/images/mchb_child_mortality_pub.pdf https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/healthitBACKUPJan6-...
(My stated conclusion is not directly said in the fact sheet - compare the pie charts and reference the line chart to verify.)
- agotterer 5y agoPlaygrounds are also supposed to be a place where kids learn to take risks and find their boundaries. Many of todays playgrounds are so safe that kids aren’t learning to take risks. There’s a great book called The Coddling of the American Mind. It talks about play grounds safety, cancel culture, and many of the topics covered in this thread. I recommend it for everyone, but especially parents.
- watwut 5y agoI mean, historically they were not build for risk taking. That was not motivation behind playgrounds at all. I agree that American culture is often overly on the safe side. But that does not make the above argument true. Plus, what would actually helped would be to stop framing non risky activities as risk taking.
- elil17 5y agoIs that what playgrounds are for? I thought they were a place for kids to have fun, make friends, and get exercise?
- ip26 5y agoAs adults we might overestimate what it takes for a kid to feel like they are taking a risk. My preschooler was quaking with fear & on the verge of tears (but determined) the first, second, and third time he climbed 6ft up a funky metal trellis. Then it was just as terrifying when he climbed a rope ladder.