Although the term "latchkey kid" first appeared in the 1940s to describe young children taking care of themselves after school while dad fought in the war and mom went off to work, the anxiety over latchkey kids really exploded in the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Why is it called a latchkey kid?

The term refers to the latchkey of a door to a house, or home. The key is often strung around the child's neck or left hidden under a mat (or some other object) at the rear door to the property. ... The higher the educational attainment of the parents, the higher the odds the children of this time would be latchkey kids.

Is being a latchkey kid bad?

The study's conclusion: There were no differences in the parents', the peers' or the children's own ratings between those who went home to mother and those in latchkey situations. Nor was there any difference in test scores between the two groups. Being a latchkey child did not appear to have hurt these third-graders.