To Walk or Not to Walk? How Modern Parents Organize the Independent Mobility of Children

Abstract

This article discusses children’s independent mobility in the psychological development of children and its contribution to the physical and psychological well-being of children through physical activity, the development of cognitive, social and other skills, increasing psychological stability, the maintenance of relationships, and joint activities with peers. We consider the concept of “parental licenses” for children’s independent mobility, the process of obtaining them by children, and “accident-free mobility”, which is usually a requirement for obtaining a license at the next level. The main factors influencing the willingness of parents to grant children independent mobility around the place of residence and beyond are discussed, including the age of the child, the number of children in the family, the characteristics of the area, and parental fears about the physical or social environmental. The article provides data on the global trend of reducing the independent mobility of children and its comparison with Russian indicators, discusses changes in the lifestyles of children and families of different generations and the digital mediation of parental control over children’s movements (“smart mobility”). The results of quantitative and pilot qualitative research are presented, including a quantitative assessment of licenses for independent mobility of Moscow schoolchildren aged 12–15 years (539 respondents) and a qualitative analysis of young adults’ responses to open questions about their childhood experience of independent mobility (34 respondents, Moscow). The city acts as a territory for play, communication, learning, leisure, and future planning for children; the experience of the urban space without parents plays an important role in their development. The complexity and multidimensionality of the contribution of independent movement in childhood to various aspects of their further socialization, including the development of agency, are discussed, and prospects for further qualitative and quantitative research of children’s independent movements in a broader context are formulated.