Are kids today too safe?
An associate pediatrics professor at UBC says yes.
In fact, over-protective parenting can actually be harmful to children's growth, according to Dr. Mariana Brussoni.
"Risks have a really important part to play in children's health and development, in terms of figuring out how to manage those risks" said Brussoni.
Brussoni believes parent's hyper-awareness of reported kidnapping cases creates fear that is disproportionate to the actual risk. She
"We see all of these tragic events that happen around the world, and this gives us a much greater sense that there is scariness and risks everywhere" said Brussoni. "So we feel like the world is less safe than it used to be, even though the opposite is the case."
Brussoni is encouraging parents to give kids more freedom to explore on their own and take risks.
It's the subject of a talk she will be presenting later this month, entitled Rethinking Risk: Are Children too safe for their own good?
The event will be held at the Okanagan College Vernon Campus, beginning at 7:30 PM on March 20th.