Without the breakdown of street community and outdoor play coinciding with the boom on technology, it doesn’t take a genius to know that our little ones are spending less time outdoors than we did back in our day.
But a new report, commissioned by laundry detergent brand Persil, has brought to light just how little time kids today spend out and about.
The report, Play In Balance, asked 12,000 parents all over the world all about their outdoor habits with their kids, how it compares to their own childhood, and the reasons why they are increasingly pushed in the door.
And shockingly, the surveyed revealed that the average child spends less time outside per week than a prison inmate – gulp! That’s right, 74 per cent of kids spend less than 60 minutes out in the fresh air each day, which is what is recommended to those behind bars as essential to mental and physical health.
Worse still, 33 per cent of children in the UK get outside to play for 30 minutes or less per day, and 18 per cent don’t play outdoors at all on the average day.
Here in the UK, parents (82 per cent) have put their habits down to the unreliable British weather – something we’re sure everyone can relate to. Wellies at the ready!
Parents also pointed fingers at the obvious culprit – technology. Toddlers today know their way around an iPad we can tell you… Not to mention can find their way into Netflix to binge watch Horrid Henry episodes, no problem.
77 per cent of parents said their kids wouldn’t play a game unless it involved one form of technology or another, and a further 75 per cent said there kids simply prefer virtual games and screen time to sports or adventure play out in the wild.
Let’s not forget the most valued commodity – time. Three in ten parents said they simply can’t fit in the hours to get out – and with kids as young as five doing a full day at school (often also attending pre and after school care), only to come home to dinner, homework (yes, homework!) bath and bed, it’s hard to see when children would have time to fit in a hour outside each evening.
Age-old outdoor game favourites have also fallen out of fashion, with two fifths of under 7s saying they’ve never played stuck in the mud, and one in two have never played a game of conkers. Oh the nostalgia!
And the migration of our youth indoors has proven troublesome on parents, too. The finding revealed:
- 63 per cent of parents believe their child has fewer play opportunities than they did
- 10 per cent of parents say they’ve never been on an outdoor adventure with their kids
- 47 per cent of UK parents worry that their kids don’t have as much time to explore and seek adventure than they did.
Of the report – which aims to get you out and about as part of Persil’s Dirt Is Good campaign - Mark Sears, Chief Wild Officer at The Wild Network said:
“This research highlights everything that we know at The Wild Network about today's children - they aren't getting enough outdoor play and it has serious consequences. Yet the evidence is overwhelming - outdoor play is vital for children, it makes them happier and healthier. Free the Kids."
And the results came as a shock to the people at Persil, too. Clare Logan, Senior Brand Manager said:
"We were shocked when we discovered that children today are spending less time outside than prisoners. That is why Persil decided to make 'Free The Kids', to bring this issue to life, and to start a global conversation about the importance of play for children's learning and development. In response, we are working with leading partners including The Wild Network and Empty Classroom Day to help families rediscover outdoor play, both at home and through schools."
Vist dirtisgood.comfor ideas of getting your kids outside.
What do you make of the findings? How much time do your little ones get outside everyday?
**Let us know on our Facebook or Twitter (@CloserOnline) page. **