10 year old using the tube alone?!!

I'm glad that worked for you. My son at 10 is still a young child and does not need to travel anywhere alone. When he does need to we will guide and teach him to do so. For example secondary school. In this situation I agree with the OP and would not feel comfortable

YABU to project your anxieties on to someone else's perfectly capable and confident child. If you don't want your child using the Tube, that's fine, but it's not your place to decide whether other people's children should.

Maybe it's worth considering your approach to teaching your DD life skills? This is something she will need to learn.

Dd was getting the tube (with changes) to and from school from the beginning of year 6. I went with her the first week till she got used to it, then the following week she did it in her own. So were many of her classmates

I don’t think it is that unusual in London. With the amount of CCTV and people around I felt quite comfortable. It’s outside of London when you get roads where there are no other pedestrians around and no CCTV I wouldn’t let her go alone.

Central London stations are always staffed because otherwise they would be clogged with lost tourists. And changing tube lines at somewhere like Victoria does not involve going onto the main station concourse, you get off one tube line and follow the signs to the one you need. As long as she knows the direction of travel, and can read a simple tube map and find the station she needs on it it will be fine.

I grew up in zone 2 and was using public transport to get around at that age. My parents would practice the journeys with me to start with, but once I was confident I was certainly doing it alone.

How are children meant to develop confidence and essential life skills if we never let them learn and do things for themselves? Wrapping children in cotton wool isn't actually a kindness in the long run.

So the change at Green Park or Victoria is presumably the one she's used to from her activity. If the only thing she hasn't done is the switch from southbound Victoria to Southbound Northern line at Stockwell there really is nothing to get worried about as that is a doddle and half the passengers on the train will be doing it at that point.

Want to say it's easier to change nowadays with phone apps. I remember not having phones, and needing to know how to read the tube map to plan changes.

I was never fazed by a difficult change on the tube when I was young. My parents were worried about the walk between the train station and home or friends place only. That's why they asked you to pick her up at the station.

Is this because your daughter isn’t quite ready for it or because you yourself are naturally quite cautious? As PP have said, there’s nothing objectively wrong with a mature London-raised 10yo about to enter secondary school doing this journey alone. If you can’t imagine your own daughter doing it that sounds like a specific your family issue, rather than a general “this is ridiculous” type issue.

I’m guessing from the description you live in south London on the Northern Line. That’s where I grew up! I did a very similar journey to the one you’re describing, including a change at Victoria, every day from 11 to get to school. I was a pretty dopey head-in-the-sky type child, but it was fine. Over the summer holidays before secondary, my parents made a big effort to force me to plan journeys - what route we would take, how to navigate interchanges etc. We spent several days with me leading them around the tube network. If I got it wrong, they let me go wrong and figure out how to fix it myself. It was good training.

It’a easier today because of smartphones. Teach your daughter how to use Citymapper and maybe encourage her to plan and lead some family outings on the tube. It will really help.

If most will be doing it in two months then why not this young person now, especially if they've been taught how to use the tube and, presumably, deal with problems. Tbh, I'm surprised if you live in London that you don't know more people with independent kids.

I didn't grow up in London but in another city with a similar underground system. I remember going on the tube myself or with classmates, and being picked up at exits. I usually wait inside the turnstiled area, so a bit different from London underground. But that won't make it anymore unsafe just because the girl has used her card pass the gates?

I think it's totally fine unless you are talking about very quiet times on the trains.

Same.

YABU, her parents know what she is capable of, and if she's been travelling independently by tube to her hobby for the whole year then she clearly is capable.

My child has been using the tube, a bus, overground and change at Victoria station, since 11. It really depends on the child. The next was not capable of going to the corner shop at 11, but the first was fine getting about

I took the bus and tube to school aged 6, OK a long time ago.

This is not your call to make. You need to accept the parents’ plan or cancel.

My DS was travelling independently on tube, buses and overland from the age of 11. I don't see that a year younger makes much difference if the child is sufficiently mature etc.

And I think it's a bit disingenuous to make a big thing of her being 10 - even if she is the youngest she possibly can be in Y6, with a 31 August birthday, she'll be 11 in 11 weeks, and her peer group and social expectations will be that of an end of Y6 child, not that of an end of Y5 child.

I'd be a lot happier if it was Green Park as an interchange, much easier for anyone. Victoria has been modernised and now it's a longer walk and less easy than before.

I think it's fine for a confident kid raised in London.

For a child visiting London for the day? No.

Do you really believe it goes from 'absurd' to completely fine over the summer holidays?!

I wouldn't be comfortable with a ten year old doing 2 line changes through busy stations, although would be fine with them using the tube more generally. I don't think it's 'absurd' though.

I think you're absurd for thinking using the tube at nearly 11 is absurd!

this can happen on any mode of transport, most children will be taught to move away and ignore.

Kids go to school/travel alone at some point, we have to equip them and let them navigate the world. At what age is up to individual parents but it's inevitable regardless.

We can only hope that other surrounding adults would intervene if they saw someone harassing or intimidating a child and make sure any child you know has been taught what to do.