No.
Connecticut law does not set a minimum age for leaving a child home alone.
But according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, experts generally recommend that children under 11 or 12 not be left alone. The academy, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families and federal officials advise weighing factors such as maturity, comfort level and the length of time unsupervised to make a decision. Leaving younger children alone overnight is widely discouraged, with many guidelines suggesting waiting until at least the mid-teen years for that kind of responsibility.
While Connecticut leaves supervision decisions largely to parents, it imposes limits in other specific situations. Under Connecticut General Statutes § 53-21a, it is a crime to knowingly leave a child under age 12 unsupervised in a public place or a motor vehicle “for a period of time that presents a substantial risk to the child’s health or safety.”
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
CT Mirror partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.
Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics Is Your Child Ready to Stay Home Alone?
- Connecticut Department of Children and Families Leaving children home alone
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2023). Leaving your child home alone
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 939 – Offenses Against the Person, Sec. 53-21a