Some people think that keeping pets is good for children while others think it is dangerous and unhealthy. Discuss both options and give examples.

In recent times, pet related injuries and mortalities have sparked heated debates about whether it is healthy for children to be around pets. I agree that it is advantageous for young people, but at the same time, it can lead to concerns as well. In this essay, the dangers related to owning pets along with the substantial psychological benefits will be expounded clearly. To begin with, although exotic pets like snakes, spiders, apes and so on have been known to occasionally hurt and even kill children. Such incidents are so statistically rare as to be negligible. This is because the overwhelming majority of children have non-lethal cats, dogs, fish, rodents and rabbits for pets. For example, The Child Safety Institute found that over 90% of children owned the aforementioned pets and professed that they had never felt in the least bit endangered by them. Seen in this light, it is clearly unfounded to claim that pets present any physical danger to children. Secondly, pets can impact positively upon child psychology. This is because young pet owners frequently empathise with their pets and perform a diverse range of actions like feeding, grooming, administering medicine and so on to maintain their well-being. For example, the Cambridge Developmental Psychology Unit found that children who had grown up with pets were 30% less likely to bully others and resolve conflicts through aggression. Consequently, it is undeniable that a child’s pro-sociality and mental health can be improved through exposure to pets. In conclusion, the cited evidence provides strong support for the view that children owning pets is a good thing. If more laws are introduced to ban the ownership of illegally acquired exotic pets, this will no doubt surge in popularity in the future.