PHOENIX, AZ—New guidelines for children's handling of live cobras have been put forth by a team of developmental psychologists and herpetologists, suggesting that parents may wish to place limits on how much time their children handle the venomous snakes.
"The data are quite clear in this regard," stated Professor of Psychology Natalia Munoz, 42. "There appears to be a link between the amount of time that a child spends petting, holding, and antagonizing any type of live cobra, and several later developmental milestones. For example, a child who handles a live cobra for an average of 6 hours per week was approximately 80% less likely to graduate high school."
The team of experts synthesized data from 12 studies that examined cobra handling and a number of other factors. Some of the research examined health and lifestyle issues, whereas others examined mental health and development.
"Children who regularly handle cobras report more anxiety, and more difficulty socializing with other children their age," said Dr. Munoz, who has two children of her own. "It seems that there is good reason to set clear boundaries on how many cobras they can access, and how much."
Based on their findings, the team recommends the following for parents of small children:
Limit live cobra interaction to 4 hours or less per week.
There is no reason for a child under the age of 2 to handle a live cobra.
Before handing your child a live cobra, get to know it better by examining its features. Ensure that it is the right weight for your child, for example.
Check in with your child in-between cobra handlings to see how it went.
See if you can substitute a black mamba or rattlesnake for the cobra to slowly ween your child off of cobra-only interaction.
Critics of the new guidelines have been quick to point out that the data reviewed did not include children randomly assigned to cobra handling, and so causal links cannot be inferred. Additionally, the developmental psychologists wish to emphasize that, while generally cobra handling should likely be limited, it may be more important to judge by the quality of cobra handling time. For example, young cobras behave differently than older cobras, and there are several different types of cobras, including some that spit, so mindful parents should take all of these things into account when tailoring a schedule of cobra handling for their child.
"It's not a one-size-fits-all approach that we are recommending," stated Munoz. "For example, my 10-year-old takes her cobra to school, but leaves it in her locker during class. My 7-year-old isn't quite there yet, so she doesn't get to touch a cobra until her homework is done, and then she can have more cobra time on the weekends and holidays."
The experts recommend that families come together to discuss their own cobra handling, and form some guidelines so that it is not just a free-for-all.
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