10 year old using the tube alone?!!

[LIKley]

DD is in Y6, her school has kids from all over London and we are used to her friends not being super close geographically.
DD’s best friend is one of the youngest in their year, so only 10 right now.

Planning a sleepover for the girls as they won’t be at the same school next year, I asked the girls parents how she will be getting to ours and was asked if I could meet her at my nearest tube station, I assumed a parent would be meeting me there with her but no they intend to let their 10 year old get the tube alone + 2 line changes one of them either at Victoria or Green Park which if you know London are hardly going to be quiet and easy to navigate at 10.

Parent insists it’s fine and the girl knows the stations well and has been using one of them alone to get to a hobby all of Y6!!

Now I know know, most kids will be getting the tube to school alone in just a couple of months but the thought of asking a 10 year old to navigate a busy station like Victoria on her own makes me feel ill!

AIBU to say to the parents that I’ll just pick her up from there house? Equally AIBU to think it’s bloody absurd to have a 10 year old make this journey?

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g crime statistics?

@MyQuaintDog It’s down to personal choice, I personally wouldn’t feel safe if my child was doing that at 10 but others are free to do as they like. It isn’t just abduction is it, what do the sexual assault statistics say?

Nooooo! Nadda Nadda Nadda Noooo Wayyyy! Helicopter Granny here but really? A child of 10 using the tube on her own? I just can’t comprehend it, it’s terrifyingly dangerous.

In what way is it terrifyingly dangerous?

I would want a ten year old to be with a mate/ mates but children who live in London use the tube every day to get to school, it's just like using a bus.

Technically they could easily take on getting the tube from an ability point of view. Whether I would feel comfortable knowing how many weirdos are on the tube is another matter. So actually, based on the weirdos I have encountered on the tube and the fact I have been sexjally assaulted on the tube. No I wouldn't let my child do this at ten alone.

How is she 10 if she's coming to the end of the school year?

She must be either 11 or just about to turn 11.

Either way, every time I take the tube there are tonnes of school kids that age, getting themselves to and from school.

More like Dramatic Granny 🙄🙄

This kid will be travelling outside of school hours so there might not be many others of her age using the tube. This makes her more visible which might be a problem but I’d be concerned about that.

I would assume that they can decide what’s appropriate for their child, just like I imagine you think you know what’s appropriate for yours.

Sexual assault statistics say a 16 year old girl is at far more risk than a 10 year old.

I used to take the metro, admittedly in a different/smaller and arguably safer city at 11. I probably wouldn't be letting my child at that age, however it doesn't sound completely absurd to me either. Year 6's walk to school independently where I live and I don't really see it as any more dangerous than that. I'd be more worried about them crossing the road safely.....

In England the school year runs from 1st September to 31st August. The little girl could easily be ten now and eleven by 1st September when she starts Year 6.

Yes so very nearly 11.

Either way the child’s parents are best placed to know their child.

@RawBloomers but the risk is still there right? It has to be on a case by case basis doesn’t it. Some kids are more mature and others less so. It’s down to what parents are comfortable with. It just feels young to me.

A child of 10 using the tube on her own? I just can’t comprehend it, it’s terrifyingly dangerous.

It really isn't. Statistically it's more dangerous in a car. My kids took the tube at 9, it's not hard to navigate and most kids have mobile phones.

London is a busy place and there's always people that are happy to help.

There is always risk. As there is if OP picked the girl up and drove her.

Criminal incidents on the tube have shot up in the last few years, but the tube is still safer now than 40 years ago. Number of incidents (despite recent rise) is around the same as it was in the 80s while the number of users has soared by a third. So the chances of being a victim of abduction, sexual assault, robbery or anything else, are lower now than they used to be. And the chances of being injured or killed in an accident much lower than in a car.

@Sunshineandpinkclouds

the two metros are not comparable.

There's also CCTV all over the tube. Those stations at that time will have plenty of people around, no one is going to stand by if a child is having an issue.

I see unaccompanied primary school kids on the tube all the time.

Why not?

In terms of complexity, the Tokyo metro is even more complex than the London Underground and stations and interchanges can be incredibly busy.

Tokyo is generally a very safe city but sexual assault on metro lines is sadly very common.

Child commuters in Japan are the result of cultural difference in how independent and self-reliant children are expected to be. It’s not that their metro system is somehow better suited to children commuting alone.

OP you sound terribly judgmental.

Come September this girl and thousands like her will be getting the tube across London to secondary school, so not sure what difference three months make.

People like you are why MN gets a bad rep.

Sounds like she knows the tube well, I’d just meet her at the station and let the parents make the decision about her transport options. My son was using the tube quite young; not that young but it’s good for them to be able to travel independently. DS is at Uni and said loads of his friends have never taken the train, they always get picked up / dropped off.

I’d much rather my child be changing tubes at Victoria than getting the bus as there’s been a couple of deaths at the bus station there at Victoria in the last year. The tube is busy but feels safe enough.

How is she 10? Because her birthday is clearly before 31st Aug. In year 6 you are age 10 and 11. She may be just about to turn 11, but that still makes her 10.

Really don't offer to pick her up from home - the parents have a plan, just meet her at the tube near you like they asked! They know their child better than you and it sounds like something they've been working on - why would you think you know better?

I meet plenty of adults who are terrified about using the tube so I’m I can understand the difference in opinion here to those of us who use the tube all the time. My DC have grown up using the tube so they’d probably be ok on their own. I find it more scary that we’re happy to let a 17 year old loose in their own car!