Kids Are Being 'Driven Indoors', But Screens Aren't The Only Reason Why

Children are being “driven indoors by a lack of safe spaces to play, move and socialise freely,” experts have warned.With childhood obesity on the rise, a nation of unhappy teens, and more children facing mental health struggles, a report by The Centre for Young Lives looked into what could be done to improve the lives of children in England.The report – featuring insights from 20 experts – found children are growing up “sedentary, scrolling and alone” because of limited opportunities to play.And it’s not just screens and social media that are the problem. Why is playtime on the decline?Play is hugely important for children, as one child told the report’s authors: they enjoy playing “because then I’m free”. Yet experts said in the last 15 years in particular, playtime has been “quietly squeezed out” citing barriers including:cuts to services,risk-averse planning,traffic-choked roads,an explosion of ‘No Ball Games’ signs (in London alone, there are 7,000),the rise of social media,excessive screen time,and shifting societal attitudes.Over 400 playgrounds closed across England in the decade to 2022. And even in the streets where children live, ‘No Ball Games’ signs and worries about crime and traffic mean kids are forced indoors – especially if they don’t have a garden.Ingrid Skeels, co-director of Playing Out and of the commissioners, told The Guardian: “The findings here confirm what we have been warning for years – children are being driven indoors by a lack of safe spaces to play, move and socialise freely.“We can’t just blame overprotective parents and screens – we have to make the outside world a place children can play in real life.”The report also pointed to children facing “packed schedules” at school and reduced break times.“Many report feeling they don’t have enough time to play during the school day due to long lunch queues, lost break times, or homework pressures,” said the authors. What needs to change?“Play urgently needs to be restored to every child’s life,” the report’s authors warned. Here’s what they said needs to happen next:1. New National Play Strategy for England, backed by £125m funding per year.2. Statutory Play Sufficiency Duty requiring local authorities to assess and secure adequate play provision.3. Legal protections for children’s rights.4. Neighbourhoods designed and adapted to be child-friendly, including: tackling safety concerns, a national ban on ‘No Ball Games’ signs, and local authorities using creative solutions like mobile play stations and toy libraries tobring play to communities.5. Require developers and planners to consult with children and young people and to adopt pro-play policies in all new developments.6. Empower parents to support their children to play, including: sharing low or no-cost resources and ideas for play; offering play advice via health visitors; piloting extended government support for childcare costs under Universal Credit to wraparound and extra-curricular clubs and play schemes.7. Make play a foundation of a child’s early years which would mean: play-focused Family Hubs rolled out in communities, expanding access to indoor and outdoor play facilities, and giving dads six weeks of paid paternity leave. 8. Support schools to encourage more play through teacher training. 9. Make the digital world a safe space for kids to play by raising the digital age of consent to 16, and offering guidance to parents, schools and childcare providers on appropriate use of digital devices.10. And lastly, embedding play in healthcare settings and recognising it as a way to improve health outcomes.A government spokesperson told The Herald: “We recognise the vital importance of play and access to nature as part of children’s development and wellbeing as we strive to create the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever.”They added that the government has given “hundreds of thousands of children the tools to turn their grey school spaces green as part of our National Education Nature Park” and it is “opening up grassroots sports to all with £100m investment in facilities”.Related...Are Audio Players The Answer To Keeping Kids Off Screens?Schools Have Issued Screen Time Limits For Kids. Here's What Parents ThinkParents Slammed For Chickenpox Party Plans – Here’s Why The NHS Warns Against It

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