Garie Beach

How safe are the beaches in California for children?

My daughters are 8 and 13. We've bought a house in California right next to the beach. Honestly, how safe is it for them to run there alone? Where we live now in Brunei, we live 20 mins from the beach. It is safe enough for even young kids to run there together without adults. Is it the same in California?

Public Comments

1. We're a little more protective of kids here in California. Generally, things are pretty safe. But the media grabs hold of the rare instance where a child is abducted by a stranger, and EVERYONE reacts by never letting their kids out of their sight at anytime. My youngest is about 8, and we go camping in a town called Carpinteria, which is very family-oriented. We let her run around with her friends, but we have her carry a small two-way radio. We'll probably get here a cell phone soon, though. We feel comfortable in Carpinteria. However, we would never let her run around in Venice Beach. So it really depends where in California your home is. My guess is that you bought a home in a very nice area, so you can probably let them run around a bit.
2. You should ALWAYS accompany your kids at the beach. YOu must ALWAYS go with them and keep an eye on them, you never know what could happen.
3. In this day and age, I don't care where you are, I would NOT let my children go alone - not to the beach, not to the library, not to the restroom, not anywhere. Especially the 8 year old. (And the 13 year old only if she's with a large group of friends.) You just don't know what can happen & this is one of the things where I believe: some things are just not worth the risk! I don't mean to be an alarmist, but I don't think we can be too cautious with out children. I sincerely hope you find this helpful!