Is it o.k to let your 11 year old daughter hang out on the local park?

I would allow this as long as it was daylight - so probably home by 4.30 this time of year - and she had a mobile on her.
Definitely not every night either so there's time for homework etc

Sounds fine to me before dark.

I honestly don't think older kids hang out in parks all that much anymore? And if they do they're not really interested in younger kids. Boozing is much less of a thing and I live round the corner from a park in North London and don't think I have ever seen older kids 'hanging around' in it.

Not a chance.

It depends on the park of course, if your park is dodgy in the evenings then no to the evenings, but its important to allow them some independence and to be out and about without adults so going to the park in the daytime, with friends, is a good thing (unless the park is so dodgy you wouldn't go there in the day either)

The boyfriend thing I'm not sure about, not had to deal with that yet with my teenager, but maybe suggest cafe or something similar first.

I want to say it was about year 8 here, September born so 13. Probably not out past about 7pm though unless it was pre organised. Eldest was very much an organised clubs and activities bod who didn’t really go anywhere with friends outside of the cinema, trampoline park, ticketed type event thing but the youngest was a footballer into athletics who would go down to the playing fields to practice with others in all seasons, get drinks from the cafe and stay in the park afterwards. Never really liked him being there after dark mind you and would always offer lifts home / friends to ours instead. He had a girlfriend of some form from age 12ish, usually a different one every couple of months and they’d just walk home together, go to the dessert place etc rather than enter teen pregnancy territory. He’s 17 now and hasn’t turned to a life of crime to my knowledge.

My son is the same age. He’s been going to the park since the last bit of Y6 - in the day with friends I know. Our local park is VERY safe, so he’s allowed out there for a couple of hours in daylight. Some of his old school friends live further away in a different area and hang around there. I won’t let him go and he doesn’t really ask. I have said that if he wants to arrange a trip to McDonald’s or whatever, I’ll take them and hang around out of sight: this isn’t really because I don’t think they’d be safe; I don’t think they’re old enough to behave in a way that isn’t annoying for others when they’re unsupervised in a group. This may be different for girls!!

I voted reasonable then changed my mind as I read the thread. Yes daytime with a group, after dark with a boyfriend at 11, no. I have a DS in same year, and he has neither a phone or a tracker though as a result, he is nowhere near having a girlfriend. He's got friends, but I message their mums to arrange for them to meet at the park. Not sure how long this will last - it's all a brave new world isn't it! He's currently at climbing with a mate, going one stop on the tube (we are London), then straight home (7 min walk), and this is the first week he's done it in the dark, and I'm definitely nervous!

Would be a firm no from me.

I'm really shocked at how many parents are ok with their 11 year old children going. out with their boyfriends/girlfriends alone! They are children!! Children don't go on dates!!

My 11yo is allowed to hang around in the park on way home from school. With friends I know.
Not for hours, or with people I haven't met, or after dark.

I’m a secondary teacher. The divide between “those allowed to hang out in the park at night” and “those not” is big.

I have a 12 year old and no way am I letting him do that. At friends? Fine. At a place - cinema etc? Fine. On the streets? Not a chance.

I raised 4 ,all recently young adults.
my middle son would meet friends for football ,buts about it
But my daughter just went to friends houses ,none of them really hung around ,just went to each others house .
None of them really hung about ,their schools gave them all such a ,lot of homework from year 7 ,there wasn't really the time to hang about , especially with the activities they all did out of school

Not a chance.
We used to do exactly this, it is where grown men used to come to pick up little girls for sex. Underage drinking and drug use. Fights. Dealing in stolen goods. Over my dead body would my dc ever be allowed to go after what I have witnessed.

My friends dd was allowed and was pregnant at 15. She also was sexually assaulted.

There are so many ways your dd can socialise safely. At your house, cinema, bowling, clubs, noodle bars, coffee shops to name a few.

There are parks and there are parks.

Never had this with dc1 (a shut in) so had to learn with dd, whilst also being aware how important it is to fit in.

Parks in the day- yes. But you all stay together, avoid anyone who looks dodgy etc.
Woods: again, only as a group (woods used as a shortcut).
Hanging around supermarket carpark: no.
Out at night? Not when it's dark.

Her current group of friends are wanderers. They would like to be with the cool kids, but just aren't., so they wander around instead. I would like dd not to be friends with them, but am staying schtum. Ish. They wander in the evenings and I've seen them in various places, but dd isn't interested in aimless wandering.

My kids were always out and about but we live in a very safe rural village. I would not let them hang out in an urban park after dark.
in at dimpsey/in at streetlights!

I'm not quite sure what your poll means but think it's reasonable to let her go to the park in daylight hours.

My DC is 11 very very soon 😭 and no chance around here.
we are in London and I don’t see me allowing her that freedom anytime soon BUT she isn’t street smart and is very very timid. Only you know your daughter

11?
No.

Not after dark at all and not in the daytime with someone you don't know from Adam.

I would be the same as you OP. Fine if they want to go into town or to bowling or whatever where there are plenty of people around in case there's any kind of problem but as she hasn't even hung out at the park with a group of friends yet then I'd probably say no to that for now.
Also, it depends what your local park is like. Is it small and at the end of your road, or huge and a way away.
My local park is huge with woods, a lake, play park, playing fields etc and I wouldn't want my 11 yr old there, certainly not once it gets dark!

11 years old and a boyfriend. Come on now I'm sure there are many better things she could be doing than this to round out her personality. Groups of friends are ok.

No, cos she’s too young to be going off with a boy with no one else around.

Costa exists for this reason.

My 12 year old has been allowed to go to the local park since she was 6.

Since she was 11 she goes on the bus to the cinema or swimming.

Which is completely normal where I live in Scotland