Article from Daily Wire by Emily Zanotti.

Utah has become the first state legislature to “legalize” something that should be a natural part of childhood: playing outside without constant adult supervision.

The law, called the “Free Range Kids Bill,” makes it clear that parents in Utah can allow their children to play outside in nearby parks, ride their bikes, and even walk a couple of blocks by themselves, without being charged with child neglect, according to USA Today.

It may sound insane — after all, why on Earth would a state have to legalize children playing outside with other children, riding their bikes in the neighborhood or walking a few blocks to the store? But it turns out, it’s a law that was desperately needed, as Utah parents have seen the number of calls to law enforcement to report their neglectful behavior soar in recent years.

USA Today cites a handful of examples, but there are plenty available. Parents in Utah, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, and elsewhere have all felt the wrath of local busybodies, and found themselves on the wrong side of the law for things like giving their own kids permission to play at local playgrounds.

Read the entire article at the Daily Wire.

Image Credit: By An Errant Knight (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons