62% of US children aged 8–12 have never walked or biked without an adult

According to a Harris Poll conducted in 2025, 62% of children in the United States, aged eight to twelve, have never traveled on foot or by bike without an adult present. A similar proportion has not arranged outings with friends independently, and almost 50% have never wandered in a separate aisle from their parents while shopping. These results indicate that the digital realm might be the only environment where kids can enjoy a sense of unsupervised liberty.