Kids playing alone on the street at 11pm

[Slimchance101]

Please let me know if IABU and overreacting

There were 3 kids playing out on the street yesterday from around 5pm till 11pm. 2 of them looked around 8 or 9 but the youngest looked about 6

I don't mind noise from kids at all, I have 2 myself and it's summer. It's lovely for kids to be playing out but I became concerned when it started getting dark and they were still out at 11pm

A couple of times they'd kick the ball onto the main road and run to get it. I was just worried for their safety, cars are constantly speeding down, also being so young and out on the street in the dark, with no adults nearby seems like a safeguarding concern to me because of the time they were out

Shortly after 11, they walked into a house across the street. The parents could probably see them from the window so maybe i am being silly for worrying but is this normal? Would you let your kids that young play out at 11pm?

It takes the blink of an eye for something to happen, regardless of what time of day it is but the darker it gets the more danger arises. You’re not being silly, you’re just being concerned for the children. What do you want to do about it, is the question. Are you worried about causing bad feeling with your neighbours? Are you friendly enough with them to have a conversation? If not perhaps have a chat with an intermediary, or organisation like NSPCC

Would I let my kids do this? No. Would I have also been concerned? Yes. However, if their parents were nearby, they weren’t causing disruption and they were able to retrieve the ball safely, I wouldn’t take any action. I may keep a closer eye out in future for any signs of neglect/other issues, especially if happening regularly, but I can’t imagine any statutory agency doing anything about kids playing outside their own home even if poorly supervised.

Thank you both for your perspective on this! Yes it was definitely the first time i've seen it and I was just worried about the speeding cars and how late it was getting. I appreciate the replies. I have no experience with this as my kids are very young so that's why I was wondering whether it's just me being over the top