When I was a tween, the word didn’t even exist. Neither did many of the concerns today’s parents have when it comes to leaving their 11 to 13 –year-olds home alone on summer days.

It wasn’t that long ago, but times were just different, and a lot of that probably has to do with the fact that the computer and Internet were not there yet for me to get in trouble with.

And today, we have more than just the threat of tweens revealing personal information online and over the phone; there are also concerns about gun safety, proper use of kitchen appliances, where to go during a severe storm and more. Despite these worries, many as one in five parents has left their tween home for an entire day.

According to the poll:

• Nearly two-thirds of parents left tweens home alone for one to two hours.
• One out of five parents have left tweens home alone for an entire day.
• Parents have more confidence in their tweens ability to follow guidelines for gun and fire safety than for Internet or storm safety.
• 28 percent of parents whose tweens stay home alone believe their child may give out personal information on the Internet and 30 percent think that the same is likely to happen over the phone.

So how to handle it? First and foremost, address your concerns with your child.

According to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, many parents keep their worries to themselves while their child is home alone, with more than 25 percent of parents polled revealing that they had not talked with their teen about neighborhood, Internet, or home safety prior to leaving them on their own.

“There is no magic age at which a child can be left home alone. It typically depends on a parent’s judgment about how mature that child is, and how ready they are to take on the responsibility of being home alone,” Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the National Poll on Children’s Health said in a press release. “Regardless, when parents decide to leave their children home alone, there are several common at-home safety concerns they need to consider and address with kids ahead of time.”

The bottom line is that before making the decision to leave kids home alone, parents need to make the time to discuss common safety issues with their tweens, Davis said.

“We were surprised to find the proportion of parents who are not very confident their children will follow safety guidelines, even though they are having their tweens stay home alone,” said Davis. “This suggests that more parents need to have conversations with their kids about safety before they leave them home alone.”

Need a starting point for home-alone safety tip discussion with your tween? Here are a few more online resources to get you on the right track:

• Child Care Aware: Is your child ready to stay at home?
• UMHS Your Child: Internet safety
• UMHS Your Child: Guns and kids
• Department of Homeland Security—Ready America: Storm preparedness
• National Fire Protection Association

For the complete report and podcast about poll results, visit the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.