Kirstie Allsopp has stepped up her efforts to enable her 15-year-old son to interrail around Europe for three weeks over the summer.
The Location, Location, Location presenter, 52, received mixed reviews online after revealing she allowed her 15-year-old son to Interrail around Europe with his 16-year-old friend this summer.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday, Kirstie questioned whether parents’ fear of their children exploring the world was due to 24-hour news coverage and a belief that the world is a “worse place”.
Kirstie aShe appreciates him because she considers him “a very sensible young man”, but admitted that she had emotional problems because she missed him during the summer holidays.
Reflecting on how perspectives have changed when it comes to allowing young people freedom, he said: ‘In previous generations, people did things much younger.
Kirstie Allsopp has stepped up her efforts to enable her 15-year-old son to travel by Interrail around Europe for three weeks over the summer.
The Location, Location, Location presenter, 52, received mixed reviews online after revealing she allowed her 15-year-old son to Interrail around Europe with his 16-year-old friend this summer.
‘We are facing a mental health crisis among young people. Many people talk and write about it.
“We have to ask ourselves: How much of this is due to our fear and worry, and how much of our fear and worry comes from the 24-hour news and the belief that the world is a worse place?”
He added that his elders had taken on significant responsibilities as teenagers, including his father-in-law joining the World War II Arctic convoys at age 16, his mother-in-law going to university in South Africa at age 15, and his father joining the army at age 17.
The row came after Kirstie came under fire last night for allowing her 15-year-old son to Interrail around Europe.
The TV presenter revealed on social media that her youngest son, Óscar Hércules, was returning home after three weeks of travelling around the continent, together with a 16-year-old friend.
However, some users claimed that their child was too young to travel across the continent without adult supervision.
One told the mother of two in X that ‘if things had gone wrong, you would have taken responsibility and never forgiven yourself’.
Another added: “You can’t wrap them in cotton wool, but it can be a dangerous world out there and 15 isn’t mature enough for all the encounters.”
Kirstie defended Oscar, saying he and his friend independently organised the nine-stop trip around Europe.
Kirstie defended Oscar Hercules, who turned 16 this week, saying he and his friend independently organised the nine-stop trip across Europe.
In defence of allowing her young son to travel without his parents, Ms Allsopp said she had travelled at the same age.
The Location, Location, Location presenter added that ‘if we are afraid our children will be afraid too, if we let them go, they will fly away’.
She wrote: ‘For obvious budgetary reasons, Interrailing isn’t an option for everyone, but in this increasingly risk-averse world it’s vital that we find every possible way to give our children the confidence that only comes from trusting them.’
Kirstie added: “If we are afraid, our children will be afraid too, if we let them go, they will fly away.”
Kirstie, who also has 18-year-old daughter Bay Atlas with Ben Anderson, also came under fire from those who claimed she would not allow a 15-year-old daughter to go on the same trip.
However, Kirstie said she had travelled at the same age, adding that “a sexual assault is much more likely to come from someone known than a stranger and boys are more likely to have a violent interaction with a stranger than girls.”
There is no minimum age for teenagers to be able to Interrail, although the European network says it requires written consent for minors to travel without their parents.
The Mail has contacted Kirstie’s representatives for comment.
