VIDEO: What’s The Appropriate Age For Children To Be Left Home Alone?

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)-Parents often have different opinions about what age a child has to be before it’s OK for them to be left home alone.

It’s been a big topic of discussion after the tragic incident in Greenville, Mississippi, where two toddlers died in a house fire.

Greenville Fire Chief Ruben Brown said there were a total of six children inside the home when the fire broke out.

However, their parents were not.

There was no electricity inside of the home, and investigators said the fire appeared to have started from candles that were lit inside the home.

“If you got a 16-year old or a 17-year old then it’s totally reasonable that you would leave them at home alone, but if you’ve got a 2-year old or a 3-year old, 4-year old, 6-year old and you leave them at home alone with out any utilities, then you’re facing criminal prosecution for anything that goes wrong,” said Sixteen Circuit Court District Attorney Scott Colom.

Colom said there’s state laws in place when it comes to leaving children home alone.

“A child that is six or under can’t be abandoned, but there has to be intent to abandon a child,” Colom explained. “Now if the child is over six, you have to provide the necessary supervision and care required for their age.”

Some believe it should depend on the child’s maturity and not their age to determine if they should be left alone, but Colom believes.

“I would say it depends on how long they leave them,” he said. “If you leave an 11-year old alone over night or even for half a day, and something bad happens, then that’s pretty risky.”

Colom also said when it comes to making that judgement call parents should really think their decision through.

“It’s not like you’re going to be prosecuted if you leave your child home alone if they’re 14, but if you leave you’re child home alone at ten, nine and you don’t provide any supervision, then there may be penalties for that if something bad happen,” he explained.

And in the event that something bad does happen, the parent can face time in prison.

The two parents who were in charge of leaving their children alone in the Greenville, Mississippi, house fire are being charged with two counts of manslaughter-culpable negligence.

“I think parents are a lot more careful about those things now because of minor society, but it’s important for the parent to do what’s reasonable,” said Colom.
Colom said if parents are going to leave their children home alone for an extended period of time, have a neighbor or relative drop by to check on things and make sure everything is alright.