In China, there is no specific law on what age kids should be allowed to go to school alone. I find many kids under 10 walk or cycle to school without adult supervision. But do you think children under 10 should be left unaccompanied? Is it kind of character building?

(BBC) A Canadian father is mounting a legal challenge after child safety officials told him his children aged 7-11 could no longer take the bus alone.
Adrian Crook said he taught his children to take the Vancouver city bus to school over the course of a month.
In a post on his blog "5 Kids 1 Condo", he wrote that he wanted to "raise capable, independent humans".
But the Ministry of Children and Family Development said it is illegal for children under 10 to be unsupervised.
Mr Crook, who writes about parenting and urban living, said he wanted to teach his children that it is possible to rely on public transport instead of a car.
He said that two years ago, he taught them how to take the 45-minute bus ride, which picks them up in front of their building and drops them off in front of their school.
The whole learning process took months, and he travelled with them while he taught them how to be safe and recognise the stops.
"Nobody’s so much as shed a tear, let alone been hurt in the entire two-year learning experience," he wrote.
His youngest child, who is five, does not take the bus.
But after receiving an anonymous complaint, child safety officials for the province of British Columbia began an investigation, which involved visiting his home, interviewing him and all his children separately, he wrote.
In Canada, only three provinces have minimum ages for children being left alone - Ontario, New Brunswick and Quebec, with the minimum ages ranging from 12-16.
Children under 12 are also incapable of supervising younger children. |