To think 8/9 year olds shouldn’t be doing this

That would be too young for me, only on mumsnet do I see this. In real life, I have never seen 8 year olds wandering around alone. Mine is year 6 and has been walking to the park at the back of our house since about the end of year 5.

Having seen a teenager decide to risk it at a crossing as the light went green for cars and promptly get hit by a speeder and sent flying across the road, requiring CPR and an air lift (turns out she pulled through). It'd be a no from me and she was much older than 8.

Children's eyes aren't developed properly to judge speed until much later than we think.

You can agree to let him play out but you don't have to agree to that particular location if you don't think it's safe. We are not lemmings and can risk assess for ourselves.

There is a reason we used to have to sit through those Grain Silo and Walking on the train track public safety videos and that is because children, particularly children in a group edging each other on make stupid decisions.

Our primary school allows children to walk home alone from year 5 so I wouldn't allow it before then. Many of the schools around here don't allow walking home alone until year 6. It's not a rough town.

I know the risks are tiny but I wouldn't be comfortable with it. None of my peer group would be either. Also 8 is too young to have a phone IMO.

Stranger danger is worse on the internet than walking down a road. Seriously.

My children are older now but I would have encouraged them to do this sort of thing. Does he have to cross this busy road? As 8 year olds can cross roads alone but aren’t good at judging speed, they should cross at a pedestrian crossing or when there are no cars at all. If he only has to walk up the hill and not cross the road that seems fine, if you are worried you could watch him for a while. Or you give him a phone and say he must text you when he gets there. Or you could walk behind him at a distance to see how he gets on. You may find that once he is allowed to do this, he might decide he’s not that keen anyway, and not want to do it often after all.
At that age I always had a specific time to be home by and if they didn’t come back I would go looking.

Knife crime etc. really scares me

How many 8 year olds are being attacked by knife-wielding strangers in the street?

He's probably more safe at this age than he will be in his teens (not that I want to give you ideas).

Predators of a different nature.

We all did it at that age (and had no phones to contact parents).
They don't even have to cross the road.

Don't treat him like a baby, OP - it's great that he wants to get put to p.aybwith his mates, and get some exercise. To be encouraged!

I think a group of children walking together on a busy road would be pretty safe, provided they know to shout and make a scene if they are approached so that other adults come to their help (and many would), and they are careful with traffic.
Complete safety can never be guaranteed of course, and that's hard to live with.

If you've taught him not to jump out in front of cars I'm not sure what the other dangers are. Do you live in rural India, are there likely to be tigers?

I wouldn't feel comfortable with it. There are too many weirdos around these days.

I would highly recommend reading the book ‘the anxious generation’. I used to be really protective of my kid, since reading that book I realised how damaging that was. Encouraging kids to be independent in a safe way will set them up wonderfully for life

He’s your son at the end of the day and it’s up to you not to let him if you don’t think he’s mature enough or doesn’t have road awareness etc. Maybe these other children are a bit more responsible for their age. I think this is the age kids start to get a little more freedom though. I don’t think I’d want my child left out or for his peers to think he’s babied. They need to learn how to risk assess themselves too. If you don’t want him to walk there then why not gradually allow it - a lift to the field and back to start with.

not to distract them

My big worry would be that they mess about with the football and follow it into the road. I always made DS take the ball in a carrier bag.

As he got older and argued that "he would never" chase the ball into the road, I explained that drivers might think that something would happen if they see kids with a ball, and it is better to not distract them.

I was walking a mile home from school on my own at 8. Also out after dark with friends on the estate. Had a watch and knew what time I had to be home.

I'm really not convinced that it's that much more dangerous now. Agree that fast/busy traffic is a potential hazard but it can be mitigated with training, instruction about safe crossing places etc.

I live in germany and this is completely normal here. Kids learn the way to school in the first semester of preschool and walk by themselves or with friends after. They meet up outside after school. My kids have been walking to school on their own from the age of 4 (after walking 6months with me first). And they have been playing outside alone from 6ish onwards. They have a gps watch to call for emergencies.

I guess it depends on the area you live in. Kids can definitely learn road safety at the age of 8/9 if theres no special needs.

Perfectly normal.

Don't. be over protective. This sounds OK when there are other children there. But he needs to be made aware of stranger danger

My eldest is 10 this year and I wouldn't let him do that but I don't think he's mature enough.

At the minute he's allowed to play in the park right next to my house and I check on him frequently.

Soon I will let him meet me outside of the school gates and we will walk home together.

Some of the girls in his year (year 5) walk to school and back alone which is about a mile. They seem a lot more mature and capable whereas I can't trust him to cross a road sensibly and it's not for want of trying.

Maybe start smaller and build your way up?

Very few paedophiles are going to try and take an unwilling child on a busy street in broad daylight. If he knows not to go off with anyone without telling you first even if he knows them he should be fine on that front. He’s probably more at risk in the home than from that.

Does he need to cross the road? Are there some smaller things he could do alone first?

Sounds ok to me if they have been taught how to walk on the side of a road.

This was really normal in the 80s before we knew about stranger danger. When I was 5 I was allowed to roam around with my 4 year old friend and come back in time for lunch and that was on the outskirts of a big city. It was only when I was 8 that there were abductions in the news and suddenly nobody was allowed to go anywhere at all.

I don't know what the right answer is really.

It sounds absolutely fine to me.

I drove home from work earlier today and saw several groups of kids around that age wandering around - some near the park, some outside Tesco and some just wandering with their friends and chatting.

I think 8 is young end for this. There’s no harm saying you’ll rethink in a few months and walk up with him if he wants to play.
I’m very pro kids playing out. I’ve watched 2 little girls 7/8 ish rollerskating outside this afternoon but I know where they live so they are 2 mins from home and I’m on an estate where people keep an eye out. That’s very different to 10 mins away and a busy road with no crossing.