Here in Finland the school finishes in the early afternoon, but we kinda trust the children to play outdoors, or walk back home when they've had enough. Our ch

Here in Finland the school finishes in the early afternoon, but we kinda trust the children to play outdoors, or walk back home when they've had enough. Our child, seven, only really received a mobile phone this year because he's walking to school and back by himself as is common here. But he'll phone to say "I'm going home [alone]", "I'm going to play with friend X", or "I'm bringing friend X home with me". (The children start school at 7, before then there is pre-school, and before that daycare. Around 7 the kids start making their own way to school and back - sometimes walking, sometimes cycling, and sometimes taking a bus/tram.)