{"id":35,"date":"2026-05-19T20:10:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35"},"modified":"2026-05-19T20:10:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:10:41","slug":"free-range-parents-being-hit-with-neglect-investigations-a-new-bill-would-change-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new bill in the U.S. House, introduced by Representative Blake Moore (R., Utah) on Tuesday, would better protect \u201cfree-range\u201d parents from investigation and arrest as they encourage their children\u2019s independent play and exploration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Felon Who Allegedly Opened Fire on Boston Drivers Previously Convicted for Shooting at Cops<\/a><\/p>\n

The Promoting Childhood Independence and Resilience Act is an attempt to bring Utah\u2019s state-level \u201cfree-range parenting\u201d law, first passed in 2018, to the federal level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moore\u2019s new bill would amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to make clear that childhood independence activities \u2014 like walk to a friend\u2019s house, play at a neighborhood park, or go to the local grocery store unaccompanied \u2014 do not constitute neglect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As law enforcement and child welfare systems increasingly investigate parents who allow their children to partake in these acts of independence, children are spending more time than ever inside and online, harming their mental health and personal growth, according to the representative.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve heard or seen experiences where neighbors are calling Child Protective Services if children are sort of roaming the neighborhood, even if parents know where they are and what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Moore told National Review<\/span>. \u201cThere\u2019s a level of nervousness about this. It\u2019s okay to want to be responsible, but I think we\u2019ve taken this to the point where we\u2019re not letting kids free roam and explore and walk the neighborhood a little bit. We\u2019re a little too tense on the definition of what neglect is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo we want to clarify that definition and work to make sure that kids are still getting an unstructured playtime.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The bill was also inspired in part by Jonathan Haidt\u2019s book <\/span>The Anxious Generation <\/span><\/i>and his nonprofit Let Grow, both of which warn of the public health emergency around children increasingly remaining online and indoors, and instead advocate for more \u201creal world\u201d and independent exploration in childhood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A cultural shift toward accepting increased childhood independence would also help low-income families who must rely on their older children to let themselves into the house, run to the store, or play with their siblings while their parents work multiple shifts to make ends meet, the representative adds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than tying up CPS resources with calls about children out playing, Moore urges concerned neighbors to check in with the children\u2019s parents and to create a good relationship with their neighbors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cConcern for children in the neighborhood is a good thing,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd we all need to be watchful, right? More eyes are good things, but do it in a way where we\u2019re not antagonizing and threatening parents for neglect. Do it in a way that shows that you truly care about the neighborhood.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Kristof\u2019s Extraordinary Claims About Israeli Rape Require Extraordinary Evidence. The Times Doesn\u2019t Have It<\/a><\/p>\n

And while technology many times can be a driving factor behind increased time spent indoors, giving children limited access to communication devices, like a child-friendly Bark Phone, can actually give parents more flexibility to let their children have more freedom and responsibility, he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bill \u201cseeks to restore a healthy American childhood, get kids off screens and playing outside, improve outcomes, and protect parents who embrace independence as part of their children\u2019s development,\u201d according to the representative\u2019s office.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moore\u2019s proposed bill has bipartisan support and was cosponsored by Representative Jennifer McClellan (D., Va.)<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to amending CAPTA, the proposed bill includes several parts. First, it would instruct the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a public study on how states and state child welfare agencies can best empower parents to give children opportunities to participate in reasonable independent activities without direct supervision.<\/span><\/p>\n

It would also amend Title IV-B of the Social Security to encourage states to have plans in place that train child welfare staff and prevent \u201cunnecessary and traumatic\u201d investigations and separations of families solely based on allowing children to participate in reasonable independent activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The measure would further ensure that grants to states for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs can be used to both develop strategies and training protocols that ensure child welfare staff understand that reasonable independence activities are not exclusive grounds for charges of child abuse and neglect, and do not justify the separation of a child from their parent or guardian; and to help the public better understand that a parent or guardian allowing a child to participate in reasonable independence activities is not being neglectful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, it would require states that pursue grants for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs to have assurances and protections for parents and legal guardians so they may allow a child to participate in reasonable independence activities without fear or threat of criminal or civil charges, other custody assessments or investigations, mandated services, child abuse registry or accusations of child abuse or neglect.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is children who lose, Moore says, when parents don\u2019t feel empowered to let them outside for independent play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to have a well-rounded upbringing. They need to be able to go and be independent. It comes in phases, but you need to be building up to that to the point where you\u2019re ready to launch and be on your own and if you\u2019ve constantly had this kind of helicopter supervision, it\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Arcadia Mayor Agrees to Plead Guilty over Role as Chinese Foreign Agent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduced by Representative Blake Moore, the bill was inspired in part by Jonathan Haidt\u2019s book The Anxious Generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That - American Housing Transition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That - American Housing Transition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Introduced by Representative Blake Moore, the bill was inspired in part by Jonathan Haidt\u2019s book The Anxious Generation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Housing Transition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-19T20:10:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2057\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-19T20:10:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35\"},\"wordCount\":930,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35\",\"name\":\"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That - American Housing Transition\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-19T20:10:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp\",\"width\":2057,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=35#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Housing Transition\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That - American Housing Transition","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That - American Housing Transition","og_description":"Introduced by Representative Blake Moore, the bill was inspired in part by Jonathan Haidt\u2019s book The Anxious Generation.","og_url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35","og_site_name":"American Housing Transition","article_published_time":"2026-05-19T20:10:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2057,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff"},"headline":"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That","datePublished":"2026-05-19T20:10:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35"},"wordCount":930,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp","articleSection":["Interesting"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35","url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35","name":"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That - American Housing Transition","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-19T20:10:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7d8ae8b8f0bf44a94ebb810dca13a8f6.webp","width":2057,"height":1200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=35#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018Free-Range\u2019 Parents Being Hit with Neglect Investigations. A New Bill Would Change That"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/","name":"American Housing Transition","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com"],"url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}