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New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

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Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#111

Post by bombcar »

skwirl wrote: post #103
david-gpu wrote: post #38

The title blames "helicopter parenting" while the actual study blames the lack of independent mobility: > Considerable research, mostly in Europe, has focused on children’s independent mobility (CIM), defined as children’s freedom to travel in their neighborhood or city without adult accompaniment Isn't that lack of independent mobility largely caused by car-centric urban planning? Children and teens can't safely roa…

> Suburbia may have little traffic, but they are also devoid of "third places" where teens can be teens. Could you unpack this? I grew up in a small town, moved to a very walker/public transit friendly city for 10 years, and now live in a close suburb. I didn’t really see any extra third spaces geared towards teens in the city. In fact, I rarely saw kids out on the street or congregating anywhere. In the suburb I am…

Teens make their own third spaces unless actively chased away, which happens much more now for various reasons.

In low crime/low vandalism areas there’s less chasing away.

Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#112

Post by chiefalchemist »

whstl wrote: post #64
chiefalchemist wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> By contrast, it is so good to see that death by drowning and car accidents have plummeted over the last 50 years. Yes, less deaths are obviously a positive. However, could this be because of helicopter'ing adults? From kids not being allowed to be kids and put themselves in adverse places and face tough decisions? Mom won't let Johnny drive, she drives instead. Dad won't let Jane go out with friends on a camping tr…

I don't think that the implication is that "helicopter parenting" is doing it. The article posted by GP says this (and provides references): "This has been attributed to the widespread adoption of seat belts and appropriate child safety seats, the production of cars with improved safety standards, better constructed roads, graduated driver-licensing programs, and a focus on reducing teen drinking and driving"

I'm commenting on the comment up one level from mine.

They said they are for adversity but then said X and Y deaths are down. BuBut might that be from a lack of adversity?

(Hint: I bet it is. It makes perfect sense.)

Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#113

Post by bombcar »

bradleyjg wrote: post #31
persponsibility wrote: post #4

I got excited when I saw something about helicopters. There are hardly ever any articles about helicopters on HN. I have a commercial helicopter license and almost 900 hours of combined helicopter and airplane flight time. If any extra rich people in the bay area or Sacramento want to buy a heli I will be your personal pilot available 24/7. Helis can go almost anywhere. I love to fly but it is hard to fly them unless…

Which is statistically more dangerous—motorcycles or helicopters?

Motorcycles are more likely to have you killed by someone else.

Most small aircraft deaths are directly or indirectly pilot fault.

Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#114

Post by bombcar »

fakedang wrote: post #29
kreeben wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an uncomfortable amount of money, so uncomfortable it makes flying in a helicopter a pipe dream. Guess I'll have to drive my kid to football practice in a plain ol' car. I know, car's are very 1999.

If it's any consolation, it would be very uncomfortable to land a plane in a football or soccer field.

You need a gyrocopter. Not quite a plane, but not a helicopter either.

Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#115

Post by chownie »

chiefalchemist wrote: post #65
chownie wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You may not have used them but there were definitely third spaces for children and teens in the form of play areas and parks. Add skate parks to that list if you grew up in the early 00s, and probably something else before that.

Maybe. But we got on our bikes and went there. We'd sonetime bike 20 miles in a day...for kicks. Just to bike. There's a third place in every kid's head - and every adult's head - if we don't exercise that muscle (so to speak) we will lose it. The evidence seems to say we are losing it. The adults, and in turn the kids. Fwiw, I liken the situation to Legos. When I was a kid you bought "raw" legos and then created wha…

Unused land is fenced off and teens are chased away when they congregate now.

Actually, nevermind teens, even adults can't find third spaces now. There's vanishingly few places you can comfortably exist without being expected to pay something. The library might be the final remaining space like that, and my local one is sadly closing down.

Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#116

Post by bombcar »

marak830 wrote: post #81
jtrn wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can try to elaborate, but my claims (and they are just claims), should be interpreted just as narrowly as you would when reading code, because changing even one little thing breaks the message: In the context of: "The kids I meet as a clinical psychologist": The ratio of kids "damaged" by neglect and impoverished homes, versus the kids that were struggling with anxiety or apathy caused by overprotection, was about…

You did mention this, but I think it deserves more weight, that kids from disadvantaged groups would be less likely (by at least an order of magnitude from my own perception) so it would skew your numbers by at least a factor of 10.

Overprotective parents are much more likely to reach for a doctor whereas neglected kids are unlikely to see one until referred by the cops or school or such.

Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#117

Post by bombcar »

gnicholas wrote: post #19

Interesting that the study author attributes the decline in teen suicides from 1990 to 2005 to technology. [1] In particular, he says that adults considered children (especially boys, who make up the large majority of teen suicides) to be knowledgeable about computers, which gave the kids agency. 1: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-to-learn/202...

The Internet also allowed you to find like minded people to talk with. That alone could be a huge factor.

Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#118

Post by CapitalistCartr »

david-gpu wrote: post #38

The title blames "helicopter parenting" while the actual study blames the lack of independent mobility: > Considerable research, mostly in Europe, has focused on children’s independent mobility (CIM), defined as children’s freedom to travel in their neighborhood or city without adult accompaniment Isn't that lack of independent mobility largely caused by car-centric urban planning? Children and teens can't safely roa…

I'm a Boomer. As you hear about, we had total freedom on weekends, as long as we were home for meals. Our bikes were our only limits. But we did some crazy, reckless stuff, too.

My son is five (youngest by 33 years); we don't let him do any such thing.

Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#119

Post by Maarten88 »

It's annoying how the article shows that independent activity/movement of children has declined drastically in the US and UK over the past 30 years while suicides have risen and how this contrasts to Finland where young children are much more independent. But then it somehow fails to compare the trends in teen suicides between those geographies and does not prove the point.

Re: New Study Says Maybe Helicopter Parenting Is Making Kids Depressed

#120

Post by llamaimperative »

mhuffman wrote: post #105
red_admiral wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say the root cause of children's independent mobility (or lack thereof) is parents' perception of how dangerous it would be to give kids that freedom - a perception that may or may not be strongly correlated with the real risk profile. Of course there's also a social angle, if all other parents gawp at you or even threaten to report you to social services for giving your kids more freedom, then you're most li…

This is what it is. There were just as many cars when I was little (6 or 7 years old) but I could walk anywhere I wanted with my friends "exploring" most of the day and no one even had the thought that we would be kidnapped or murdered. Fast forward and I am not even sure about letting my 16 year old walk by himself 3 blocks down the road to the corner store. And it isn't about cars! Also, I would say that there was…

So why are you not sure about letting your 16 year old walk by himself?

FYSA: There is almost certainly lower violent crime risk and higher car risk than when you were growing up.

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