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This is essentially how it works in Japan as well; once the kids are old enough, the parents will walk with them to school a couple of times - to ensure they learn the route and to introduce them to neighbors they might meet on the way - and then the kids are on their own.

Japan's cultural safety net (by which I mean the overarching concept that everyone is more or less working together for the common good) is one of my favorite things about the country, and one of the most startling to me after moving to Asia.

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There was on article here a few weeks ago about how Japanese parents and teachers train children to be safe before letting them out on their own.

https://savvytokyo.com/japan-prepares-children-independence/

Most American parents, on the other hand, don't teach their kids anything about being safe on the streets (other than basic theory, like "don't cross on a red light") because they're always shuttling them around in a car. The reason it's unsafe for American children to roam free is because they don't know how to. In the past, they learned from older siblings and friends. Nowadays there's nobody to teach them. And as soon as you turn 16, you're suddenly free to drive anywhere. It doesn't feel safe to be a pedestrian in a town where most drivers have never been a pedestrian. And so the vicious cycle continues.

Maybe in the suburbs. Here in New York City kids are expected to make their own way home by the fifth grade. And take mass transit to school by themselves by sixth. I'm not sure if it's safe, but plenty of kids manage it themselves. My eight year old is eagerly awaiting the day he can walk home by himself.

New York City is one of the safest place to be a pedestrian.

See the "AMERICAN CAR-NAGE" section of Jeff Speck's Walkable City

https://books.google.com/books?id=kbfeAQAAQBAJ&lpg=PA37&ots=...

It might have to do with the fact that fewer people drive in New York City. Suburban parents can drop their kids off at the school on their way to work. Trying to do the same in New York City would be a massive waste of time!

The last few decades were all about ever-expanding suburbs. It would be interesting to study the effect of urban revival and gentrification on parenting behavior and the larger culture over the next few decades.

Yes, I live in Japan now and I see that every day. One note though: In cities there's actually a watch organised, every street corner there's a different parent or grand parent waiting at a specific time for the children to arrive. Also, older kids are officially tasked with guiding the younger ones on the way to school.

I was just going to mention this exact same observation from my visit to Japan in October. I stayed in an Airbnb north of Shibuya and morning and night we saw little kids walking to and from school. It was awesome. That, coupled with everybody leaving their bikes unlocked, was such a stark contrast to what I'm used to here in the US.

The concept of "us vs everyone else" or "other people are dangerous and untrustworthy" is probably the most clear difference in US TV shows when I compare it to where I live.

It always seems to be the exception rather than the rule, that people might be willing to co-operate. The idea of "only we are sane" is another. Assuming everyone else is crazy or disagreeable seems to be common.

I wonder if that is something reflected by US media correctly or if it is something skewed.

I've wondered the same thing. It concerns me that there are more police dramas than any other genre on American television.... and even more that they are so popular. It says alot about a cultural mindset. One the one hand you can argue the shows are being pushed.. but they wouldn't continue to do so if people didn't eat them up.

It's a gut fear that is being appealed to, and simultaneously teaching people exactly "us vs everyone else" and "other people are dangerous and untrustworthy." Even your neighbor. Even your friends.

Makes me sad.

It didn't used to be that way in the US. It's certainly gotten worse.

Bike theft is actually a surprisingly big thing in Japan. However, they have another method to control it: all bikes are registered and police conduct random spot checks of ID and registration. (Foreigners tend to get "randomly" checked more often.)

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