Children Not Spending Enough Time Outside?!

(AmericanProsperity.com) – Charities have recently been discussing the effects of the lack of outdoor play on children and young adults. They are saying that children are suffering due to the lack of outdoor playtime and spaces.

MPs began to make an inquiry into how better planning could enhance the well-being of children, and they are pushing for change. Alice Ferguson, of Playing Out, said “Compared to previous generations, children’s lives have become incredibly restricted, indoors, isolated and inactive, largely due to changes in the outdoor environment. The government could reverse this trend and hugely improve children’s health and wellbeing by making streets safer and neighborhoods more child-friendly, enabling them to get outside and play every day.”

It’s said that many other countries like Norway, Germany, and Sweden all have relevant policies that help to keep the cities child-friendly. They say that they are looking into how kids use play spaces outside and what kind of improvement cities can implement to appeal to more children so they will be more likely to take part in outdoor play.

“We want to find out more about how children and young people experience outdoor spaces in towns, cities, and rural areas across England,” said Clive Betts, the Labour MP.

There are a few main charities that have teamed up together to help make a change for kids. These charities are Playing Out, Save the Children UK, and Wildlife and Countryside Link.

They are looking for change in the cities and exploring how they can transform them to be more open to children and those who want to play outdoors. The charities have said that in some cases their cities and countries have actually made it harder for kids to play outside.

The charities said: “For decades, public policy in England has failed to create places that support children’s healthy development and wellbeing.

They discussed different restrictive measures used in the past, such as the “no ballgame signs” that prevented kids from playing in designated areas. They also said that kids are discouraged from using “outdoor step space”, which is the area right outside of a residence. Kids are being prohibited from taking advantage of this space without providing alternative outdoor spaces where children can play.