There is no law that says how old a child must be to babysit. Parents are expected to make their own decisions and in doing so the only guidance the law provides is that they make make reasonable decisions about their children’s safety.

What is reasonable will depend on:

What the law does say about parent’s responsibilities towards children

Who is responsible if a child under 18 is babysitting and something goes wrong?

Where a child under the age of 18 is left to babysit and the issue of negligence or liability arises, it is likely that the parent or parents of the children being babysat will be held liable for the carer in addition to the children being cared for. Where a child under the age of 18 is left in charge of younger children, they will not be judged by the same standards as an adult.

There are a number of questions parents need to ask themselves before deciding whether to allow older children to babysit younger children and excellent resources are located on the Parenting SA website including a guide called Home Alone.