Different states have different rules or guidelines about this. But what do YOU think is the right age?
Someone polled thousands of Americans and asked how old a kid has to be before it’s safe to let them babysit their younger sibling. Here’s what people said . . .
The most popular answer was . . . 12 years old. It got 19% of the vote, but it was close. 18% said 13 years old, and the same amount said not until they’re 14.
Around one in three people think they should be even older than that . . . 13% said 15, 11% said 16, and 10% said at least 17.
Only 6% of us think a 10-year-old is responsible enough to babysit their younger brother or sister. Another 5% said 11 years old is fine.
For what it’s worth, most of the advice we’ve seen from experts says 12 is the age most kids are old enough to babysit. But obviously we’re talking about short amounts of time, not all day or overnight.
Most states don’t have a specific age when kids can babysit. But for states that do, it’s usually between 8 and 12 years old. Illinois currently has the strictest age limit for babysitters at 14.
