The Surprising Minimum Age For Leaving A Child Home Alone

How old should a child be before being left home alone? The question, surprisingly, has many answers.

Of course, we could just refer to what the law says and leave it at that. But, many states don’t have a minimum age. Some states, like Oklahoma, suggest 7, which I feel is a little young. Others, like Illinois, say a kid no younger than 14 can be left home alone and, honestly, I’ve known 14-year-olds who aren’t ready.

For the record, Georgia DCFS suggests that 8 and under should not be left alone, 9-12 can be left alone for short periods, based on maturity level, 13 and older can be left alone and even babysit, 15 and older can stay alone overnight. South Carolina doesn't have a state mandated age.

Different kids have different maturity levels and different living situations, so it makes the answer a little ambiguous. My older brother will proudly tell you that, at 9, not only was he left home without parental supervision, he also had to get both of us ready for school, make us both breakfast and get us to the bus stop on time.

I took that into account when we finally decided to let my youngest son stay home alone. I am a proud helicopter parent, so I’m still a little nervous about leaving him alone today at 15 years old. He’s absolutely responsible and capable of looking after himself. The problem is 100% me. However, after his first experience being home alone, I’m pretty confident that he can handle whatever is thrown at him.

He was almost 11 and relished any opportunity to show that he can be responsible. We were living in Las Vegas at the time and it was his mom’s birthday. Some of her hometown friends had come to town and we were in desperate need of a grown-up night out with friends. Nevada is also a state with no listed minimum age, but have subjective criteria.

He assured us that he was good. We lived in a nice house in a nice area and he promised to keep all the doors locked and, of course, we had our phones and he could call if he had any problems. I stifled my anxiety enough to walk out the door and accept that things were going to be fine, kids stay home alone all the time, including myself at that age.

When we got to Caesar’s Palace, where my wife’s friends were staying, people were kind of buzzing around. We didn’t think much of it until we got to the hotel room and our friends were beside themselves with excitement: “Did y’all feel that?!” they exclaimed. We replied: “Feel what?”

Just as they began to explain, I got a phone call from the air talent who was doing a rooftop broadcast for my radio station: “I just wanted to let you know that everyone is OK, but that was WILD!”  “What? What was wild?” I asked. She asked: “Did you feel the earthquake??! It was crazy! Water was splashing out of the pool! We’re good, though.”

I quickly wrap up the phone call and call my son. He answers and as I’m repeatedly asking if he’s ok, he responds as if he’s more bothered that I interrupted his Minecraft marathon, saying "it was kinda weird, the windows rattled." We couldn’t feel the quake as we were driving, but it was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that happened in southern California that could be felt all the way in Las Vegas.

So, even if your kid is old enough to be left alone, mother nature could have a trick or two up her sleeve. For an anxious helicopter parent such as myself, I can appreciate my panic and the hilarity of a friggin’ earthquake on the first night my kid stays home alone. He handled it great, though. Which, isn’t that ultimately what we’re aiming for?

After years and millions of dollars, the high-tech entertainment venue that is the Las Vegas Sphere has become "a world-first immersive destination." The venue first opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, snagging U2 with an ongoing concert residency starting on September 29 and running through March 2. The band's longtime collaborator and technical director Stefaan “Smasher” Desmedt and technology partner Weka worked together to make the band’s stunning visual imagery in 4K video.

The Sphere’s LED screen inside the theater is 160,000 square feet, boasting 16,000 pixels by 16,000 pixels — the highest resolution in the world. Also featuring 1,600 speaker panels using spatial audio through the screen without any visible speakers in the auditorium, the venue makes those in attendance fully immersed in sound and visuals. The arena can hold up to 18,600 guests in the auditorium. It is no wonder why the company wants to expand, as it is clearly leading the entertainment industry in the right direction.

Besides U2, rumors of Beyoncé planning a Las Vegas residency at the Sphere swirled after her Super Bowl country album announcement in which she sat atop the glowing globe. Partnering with Verizon in the $50 million advertisement, the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer tries to break the internet over and over again. Taking on different personas and skills, she opens a lemonade stand, drops a "saxy" album, becomes a Twitch gamer by the handle @IamSlayoncé, a Beyonc-AI double, Bar-Bey, running for "BOTUS," on top of the Sphere atop a silver horse, and the first woman to launch the first rocket to the first performance in space. The commercial concluded by cryptically teasing the release of "new music," Beyoncé's country album, Act II, on March 29th.

According to the Sphere's website, the immersive venue will host a wide variety of events, including concerts and residencies from the world’s biggest artists, as well as films. Take a look below at five amazing pop artists who would have amazing performances at the Sphere: