A 12-year-old and older teen is capable of coming home from school, getting a snack, doing homework and keeping themselves busy for 2 to 3 hours while a parent finishes up their work day and comes home. You'll want to set up a daily afternoon routine that includes touching base with you. You will also need to set up some safety nets, like informing an at-home neighbor that your teen is home alone after school in case they need any adult help quickly.
Know that statistics show that the hours right after school are times when teens get into the most trouble. For instance, Northeastern University's College of Criminal Justice reports that teens commit serious crimes mostly between the unsupervised hours of 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Do not set your teen up to get into trouble by not scheduling out his time with constructive things to do.
Teens Home Alone FAQ:
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