House hearing examines bill to clarify when parents may allow children independent activities

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House Children & Youth Committee held an informational hearing on HB 1873 on Oct. 25, 2025, hearing testimony from researchers, legal advocates and parents who said the bill would clarify when parents may allow children to engage in age‑appropriate independent activities without triggering child protective services or criminal investigations.

Proponents told the committee that vague state language about “proper” or “adequate” care has led to reports and investigations in ordinary situations such as a child walking two blocks from a bus stop, siblings playing outside while a parent gardens, or an older sibling briefly supervising a younger child. “We have to let kids be kids, but we also have to let parents be parents,” Lenore Skenazy, president and co‑founder of Let Grow, said in her testimony.

HB 1873, lead‑sponsored by Chairwoman McNeil and co‑sponsored by Representatives Kajewski and Zimmerman, would amend state dependency and endangerment language to specify that parents may permit a “child of sufficient maturity” to engage in listed independent activities and that such permission is not, by itself, child abuse or neglect. Supporters said the change aims to reduce what they described as unnecessary investigations and long‑term harms — including placement on the state ChildLine registry — that can…