Feral Child Summer Revival: Gen X Nostalgia or Modern Trend?

What is feral child summer?

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The idea is that “feral child summer” mimics summers spent playing outside in the ’80s and ’90s—riding bikes, exploring the neighborhood, meeting up with friends. No plan, just vibes. Many people who grew up in that era remember only vague rules, like be home before dark and don’t stray beyond some specific boundary or landmark.

The point, really, is that it’s a far cry from the current landscape of kids playing indoors on their phones or computers or having entirely structured playtimes or outdoor experiences.

“I love the idea of feral child summer,” said podcast host Kylie Kelce. “I currently will unleash my children into the backyard. If one of them ends up digging out a rock, have at it. If another one ends up climbing up the play set, having a whole pretend play situation or scenario made up, great. I love watching them play.”

Kelce’s children are all under the age of six, so just how “feral” their summers can get is limited. But for older kids, the lack of strict supervision also plays a key role. You can’t be a “feral kid” if your parents are hovering the whole time. To some folks, this freedom is an important part of letting their kids experience summer and take steps towards growing up.

Should families be recreating ’90s kids summer?

Not everyone is comfortable with letting their kids roam the neighborhood in packs, with some citing safety concerns.

“We live in a very different world than the one of the ’90s summer,” psychologist Dr. Anna Levy-Warren told the New York Post.

Another family who spoke to the outlet said that they would be structuring their children’s summer with multiple workshops and classes because otherwise they would just “sit in their rooms and be on their computer or phone or iPad playing games.”

But their are plenty of people online chiming in and showing their support for letting kids be kids to the extent their environment allows.

“This is how I spent a lot of my childhood,” @elven.wildflowers commented on Kelce’s TikTok, “did people stop letting their kids do this lol?!?”

“Feral would mean wanting to go outside as kids and coming home after the street lights came on,” @alicialyton recalled.

“WHAT kids playing!!! The fact it’s considered a movement is a sad state of our world,” said @rnm375.

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