In Findmykids data, half of 7-year-olds were more than 14 miles from home at least once in a month

Half of the 111 seven-year-olds in a new Findmykids analysis were more than 14.4 miles from home at least once during a single month. For 17-year-olds, the median farthest point was 24.1 miles.

The analysis covers 6,589 U.S. children ages 7 to 17 whose families use Findmykids, an app parents use to see where their child is on a map. Distances run in a straight line from home to the farthest point recorded between September 8 and October 7, 2026, so a single drive to a grandparent's house can set the number. What the data can't tell is whether a parent was in the car.

How far kids go, age by age

Findmykids, anonymized U.S. location data, Sept 8 – Oct 7, 2026 · 6,589 children ages 7–17 · converted from km

Medians tend to be higher among older children, but they don't rise steadily. At 20.9 miles, the 8-year-old median is above those for 9 and 10. The differences between neighboring ages are too uncertain to call 8, or any other age, a turning point. Each age is also a different group of children, and teens were observed a few days longer than 7-year-olds, which gives a long trip more chances to show up.

Miles from home on an ordinary school week

A monthly record can come from one trip. A second measure looks at routine: on how many of five weekdays a child was, at some point, more than 1.9 miles from home.

Findmykids, anonymized U.S. location data, one school week in early October 2026 · 4,287 children with data on all five weekdays · threshold 3 km

At 7 and at 17, about seven in 10 children were that far from home on at least three weekdays: 69.8% and 69.0%. The 7-year-olds are the smallest group on the chart, 53 children, so their figure is the less certain of the two. The dip at 8 and 9 shows up in the data, but nothing in it explains why. For most children here, a couple of miles from home is an ordinary weekday, not an outing.

The places kids keep coming back to

Some of that distance follows a pattern. In a separate week-long sample of 1,952 children, 36.1% had a recurring place outside home, somewhere they spent at least 20 minutes on three or more days. The farthest such place was a median 2.8 miles away, and children went there four days a week. What those places are, the data doesn't say: a school, a practice field, and a grandparent's house look the same on a map.

Researchers have long asked what children gain from reaching places like these on their own. A 2024 review of 23 studies in the Journal of Transport & Health links getting around without an adult with spatial skills and with social and emotional growth, though the authors note that few studies measure those outcomes directly.

Far from home isn't the same as on their own

How far a child's week reaches and how far they go without an adult are separate measures. The Findmykids data captures the first. The second is a decision parents make, and research measures it by what children are allowed to do. In a 2015 study of 497 U.S. parents of children ages 7 to 11, about half of 7-year-olds were allowed out alone only within their own yard or driveway, on a scale that ran from "not allowed out alone" to "more than a 15-minute walk."

In that study, a wider range went with the child's age and with how safe parents felt their neighborhood was. Children whose parents rated it safest for kids had about four times the odds of a wider range as those whose parents rated it least safe. A 2022 review of 53 studies adds the child's skills and confidence, parents' trust in those skills, traffic, and how far away the places children want to reach are.

Planning the first solo route

A fenced backyard, a friend's house two streets away, and a park across a busy road each ask for different skills, so there's no single age for going out alone.

The age guidance that does exist is tied to specific situations. On walking to school, the American Academy of Pediatrics says children usually aren't ready to go without an adult until about fifth grade, or around age 10, because younger kids are more impulsive and less careful near cars. On crossing streets, Safe Kids Worldwide advises that children under 10 cross with an adult, since most can't yet judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars. Both stress that every child is different.

Readiness is also negotiated. Researchers at the University of British Columbia interviewed 105 Canadian children ages 10 to 13 and 135 of their parents and found mismatches both ways: some children wanted more freedom than their parents would give, and some parents were ready to give more than their child wanted. The authors suggest treating the child as a participant in that decision. In practice, that can mean planning the first solo route together:

1. Pick one short route the child already knows, such as to a friend's house or a place they go several days a week, and check it for busy roads and crossings. Familiar isn't the same as safe.

2. Walk it together a few times with the child leading, then let them try it while you stay close.

3. Agree on the boundaries and on how they'll check in: a call, a text, or a notification. With Findmykids, a parent can mark the friend's house as a place and get a notification when the child arrives and leaves, and a Loud Signal rings through even if the child's phone is on silent. That helps with check-ins, not with readiness.

The useful question, then, isn't what age is right but whether this child is ready for this route. Two answers say a lot: what they would do if they got hurt, and what they would do if a friend wanted to go past the boundary. When the answers hold and the route goes smoothly, the next one can be a little longer.

About the data

Key figures

• Median farthest straight-line distance from home in one month: 14.4 miles at age 7 (111 children), 24.1 miles at age 17 (390 children); 6,589 children in all.

• More than 1.9 miles from home on at least three of five weekdays: 69.8% of 7-year-olds (53 children, the least precise figure) and 69.0% of 17-year-olds (271 children).

• Recurring place outside home: found for 36.1% of children with a full week of data; the farthest was a median 2.8 miles away, visited four days a week.

How the analysis was done

• Source. Anonymized, aggregated location data from U.S. users of the Findmykids app, ages 7 to 17. Age comes from the birth date entered in the app or, if missing, the stated age.

• Farthest distance. 6,589 children, September 8 to October 7, 2026. Measured in a straight line from the child's home area to the farthest recorded point, not along a route. One trip can set the figure. Children were included with at least five well-observed days.

• Weekday routine. 4,287 children of the same sample with location data on all five weekdays of one school week in early October 2026.

• Recurring places. A separate, later sample: 1,952 children with a full week of data in early October 2026. A recurring place is an area outside home where a child stayed at least 20 minutes on three or more days that week. Figures from the two samples should not be combined.

• Age differences. For each pair of neighboring ages, the analysts estimated the difference in median distance with a 95% interval, built by resampling accounts and adjusted for multiple comparisons. Every interval included zero, so the data doesn't support a jump at any single age.

• Not measured. Whether an adult was with the child, how the child traveled, and what the places were.

• Limits. Results describe Findmykids users, not all U.S. children. Gaps in GPS data, how home was identified, and different observation lengths affect precision.

FAQ

What age can kids play outside alone?

There's no single right age. Some children are ready for short periods of outdoor play on their own in a fenced or quiet area during the early elementary years; others need longer. Readiness depends on whether the child follows rules when excited, stays inside agreed boundaries, and knows how to get help, and on how much traffic is nearby. Age is a starting point, not the answer.

Can a 7-year-old play outside alone?

Some 7-year-olds can handle short stretches in a fenced yard or another low-risk spot if they reliably follow the rules and a parent is close by. That is different from walking around the neighborhood or to a park. In a 2015 study of U.S. parents, about half of 7-year-olds were allowed out alone only within their own yard or driveway.

What age can a child cross the street alone?

Safe Kids Worldwide advises that children under 10 cross the street with an adult, because most can't yet judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars. That advice is about crossing streets, not about going out alone in general: a child who can't cross a busy road alone may still be ready to play in a fenced yard. Practice counts too: look left, right, and left again, cross at corners, and put the phone away.

Is it legal for children to play outside unsupervised?

It depends on where you live. Child-supervision rules differ by state and can weigh the child's age and maturity, how long they are alone, and the setting, rather than naming one age for every situation. Before deciding, check your state's current guidance instead of an age chart found online. This answer isn't legal advice.

Do kids need a phone or GPS watch to go out alone?

No. A phone or a GPS watch makes it easier to reach home and lets a parent see where the child is, but it doesn't make a child ready. Road skills, clear boundaries, and knowing what to do in an emergency come first. Findmykids works on a child's phone or on a GPS watch, so families can choose the device that suits the child's age.