British TV personality Kirstie Allsopp was so excited when her 15-year-old son Oscar returned from a three-week European train trip with friends that she posted about it on social media, sparking an immediate backlash.
“My son just got back from a 3 week Interrail trip,” she wrote in an X thread on Aug. 19. “He turns 16 on Wednesday so he went with a friend who is already 16 due to dorm and travel restrictions. But they organized all of the trip – Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Marseille, Toulouse, Barcelona, Madrid.”
Ms Allsopp acknowledged the risks involved with the trip in her original post, adding: “In an increasingly risk-averse world, it's important we find every way to give our children the confidence that can only come from trust.”
The post has been viewed over 2 million times so far and sparked many strong reactions, including:
“It's totally crazy to have a 16 year old look after a 15 year old! Too young to travel alone.” “Two 16 year olds travelling alone around Europe – I can't imagine how much their safety must have been put at risk by them/you letting them go. I think they have to be very mature and sensible men to undertake this adventure but at 16 they are taking a huge risk… I'm glad they came back safe.” “I think that's too young.”
Although Allsopp acknowledged she has many “haters” online, she also has a fair amount of support.
“I think it's fantastic. My son (18) has just come back from 7 weeks travelling, he travelled all the way from the UK to Albania and had a fantastic time.” “It was a great experience and adventure. In Europe it's quite normal to go travelling at 16 but as kids in Germany we were walking home from school at 7 and riding the train alone at 10. I think parents should give independence early on.” “It's good for him and you. After I finished my GCSEs I went to France and worked in a hotel bar in a small village for 3 months. It was great fun and I would love for my child to do the same.”
In an Instagram post on August 25, Allsopp provided more background on the trip.
She wrote that her son had gone on the trip after taking a test given to teenagers in the UK. But her initial post had serious consequences and sparked an investigation by social services.
“I never dreamed it would involve a call from child welfare services,” she wrote.
Kirstie Allsopp let her son travel unaccompanied around Europe, which has generated mixed reactions from people. Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Ms Allsopp, who cited Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation as inspiration for increasing her risk tolerance as a parent, posted another thread on X on August 27th.
“Every year after finishing their GCSEs, children travel around the UK and Europe – it's a rite of passage that goes back eons,” she wrote.
“Do I regret that tweet? Yes and no. Yes, because it's caused a lot of trouble and the Oscars weren't too happy about it,” she continued. “No, because if some of the reactions I've received are any indication, it's clear that this is a much bigger problem than I ever imagined – fear, xenophobia, and limiting teenagers' rights to explore the world.”
Mr Allsopp also said the calls from social services were “completely absurd and extremely upsetting”.
Her post suggests that if her son had turned 16 before the trip, there would have been no problem. “This obsession with age restrictions is bizarre,” she writes.
But Allsopp believes there is also an “upside” to the situation, because it has sparked discussion about “how we can best support teenagers to develop into confident, competent adults, and how to take a fact-based, realistic view of the risks”.
