Children 'not playing outside enough'
14/07/2009 New research from the National Trust has indicated that 79 per cent of today's children say they want to get outside more as they spend too much of their time indoors.
Some 38 per cent of children now spend less than an hour a day outside playing, the study suggests, while 23 per cent spend more than 14 hours per week in front of a computer or TV screen.
In a statistic which could highlight the benefits of safe outdoor play equipment, 87 per cent of parents said they wished their children spent more time outside, but are afraid to let them do the things they did as kids due to safety concerns.
The National Trust reports how only one in four children has played tennis in the past year, yet twice as many have played the sport on computers such as Nintendo Wiis or Xboxes.
Despite this, just four per cent said that playing computer games was their favourite childhood memory.
According to research conducted by Playday last year, children now face serious restrictions to their opportunities for adventurous play.
As children, 70 per cent of adults enjoyed most of their adventures in natural outdoor environments, compared to just 29 per cent of kids today, the study showed.
Some 38 per cent of children now spend less than an hour a day outside playing, the study suggests, while 23 per cent spend more than 14 hours per week in front of a computer or TV screen.
In a statistic which could highlight the benefits of safe outdoor play equipment, 87 per cent of parents said they wished their children spent more time outside, but are afraid to let them do the things they did as kids due to safety concerns.
The National Trust reports how only one in four children has played tennis in the past year, yet twice as many have played the sport on computers such as Nintendo Wiis or Xboxes.
Despite this, just four per cent said that playing computer games was their favourite childhood memory.
According to research conducted by Playday last year, children now face serious restrictions to their opportunities for adventurous play.
As children, 70 per cent of adults enjoyed most of their adventures in natural outdoor environments, compared to just 29 per cent of kids today, the study showed.
