New research by the UK’s biggest website for parents, Mumsnet, has shown they are worried about the shift from outdoor play to indoor screen time, saying that playgrounds are vital in getting children outdoors and active again.
A survey of 1111 parents with children aged between two and 12 has found that nine out of 10 parents who were not close to a playground said that having access would make their child play outside more.
Of those with access to a playground, 61 per cent said it does make their child play outside more and over half (53 per cent) of parents said more access to playgrounds would make their child more active.
Almost half of them said that their child prefers screen time over other activities and almost half of those surveyed said they find it difficult to persuade their child to leave their screens. Sixty nine per cent of parents of 10-12-year-olds said their children preferred screen time over other activities.
“Children are being ‘pulled’ indoors by screens and ‘pushed’ away from outdoor play because of the alarming and continued decline in public playgrounds,” said Mark Hardy, the chair of Association of Play Industries, a trade body within the play sector and campaigns at the highest levels for policy recognition for play. “They are experiencing a childhood where time spent playing and being active is negligible compared to previous generations.
“The overwhelming majority of UK children live in urban areas. For these children, and particularly those in the most disadvantaged areas, public playgrounds are their only chance for outdoor play.
“We are in danger of leaving entire communities without anywhere for children to play. Couple this with the dominance of digital culture and the strong inducement it creates for children to stay indoors – inactive and alone for hours – children are facing a crisis with dire consequences for their mental and physical health.”
Over one third (35 per cent) of parents have experienced the closure or neglect of their local playground and of those with a local playground only 13 per cent overall saying they would be happy for their child to play there unsupervised.
The association’s campaign – Play Must Stay – launched today and is calling for urgent and sustained investment in public play provision. It is also supporting the Children First Alliance in their call for a dedicated Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People to put children at the heart of politics and help drive investment in community playgrounds.
