Tweens are still being left with babysitters. Whether it’s a summer sitter or consistent weekly watching, many parents are paying for their kids to be supervised at the ages they themselves were left independent. The latchkey kid is not common for young Gen Z and Gen Alpha; according to Census data from 2023-2025, 15% of parents with a 10-year-old youngest child pay for child care, and 11% still do when their youngest is 11-years-old. The number of parents paying for care and how much they pay does still decrease significantly with age. However, that cost may still be far more than previous gens of parents paid. The average rate a sitter on Sittercity charges has increased by $10 an hour in just the last six years, and many families are paying nannies or professionals over a local teen. Tweens themselves have mixed feelings—some feel they’re old enough to be left alone already, while others think nothing of having someone constantly around to drive them to activities or feed them dinner. (Washington Post)
📈 YPulse reported: Parenting report
