Fears about outdoor play activities 'are not proportional to risk'
29/04/2010 Parents' fears about letting their children take part in outdoor play activities are not proportional to the actual risk presented, according to one expert.
Alison Charlton, manager of LV= streetwise, a roadshow which tours the country educating children on safety issues, said that the media often makes parents wary about allowing their kids to participate in outdoor play activities.
Ms Charlton explained that these fears help to create a "double whammy" of reasons for kids to stay indoors leading a sedentary lifestyle.
"There are other enticements in the house such as computers and this is a generation that likes to watch television, which will also encourage them to stay at home," she explained.
In all situations, the key to ensuring children stay safe is by educating them in a realistic way about how to avoid danger, Ms Charlton said.
According to LV=, around 60 per cent of mothers and fathers believe that the world is more dangerous than when they were growing up and around a third feel uneasy that their children do not have as much freedom as they did.
Alison Charlton, manager of LV= streetwise, a roadshow which tours the country educating children on safety issues, said that the media often makes parents wary about allowing their kids to participate in outdoor play activities.
Ms Charlton explained that these fears help to create a "double whammy" of reasons for kids to stay indoors leading a sedentary lifestyle.
"There are other enticements in the house such as computers and this is a generation that likes to watch television, which will also encourage them to stay at home," she explained.
In all situations, the key to ensuring children stay safe is by educating them in a realistic way about how to avoid danger, Ms Charlton said.
According to LV=, around 60 per cent of mothers and fathers believe that the world is more dangerous than when they were growing up and around a third feel uneasy that their children do not have as much freedom as they did.
