Children are far better off playing in the sun than sitting in a stuffy classroom

Telegraph

20 hours ago

The American social psychologist Dr Jonathan Haidt's bestselling book, The Anxious Generation, argues that the rise of smartphones and so-called helicopter parenting has led to a 'rewiring' of childhood and increased mental illness.
Since the emergence of smart phones and social media, traditional play-based childhood activities like free play, outdoor exploration, and spontaneous social interactions have been reduced and replaced by structured activities and screen time.
'Overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the anxious generation,' he writes. Modern parents are largely to blame for this, not least if they restrict their children's freedom and independence in the real world while failing to adequately monitor and guide their online activities.
But schools must also bear their shame of the blame. Nanny-state schooling – and an over-emphasis on emotional validation – has undermined individual responsibility and self-reliance in a generation of young people.
This week, we learnt that some headteachers are banning children from playing outside during heatwaves.
Pupils are being kept inside for 'hot play' breaks when their playgrounds are deemed to be 'too hot to use safely '.
The move is apparently designed to keep children away from outdoor surfaces that can become very hot to touch in the sun. If it wasn't bad enough that schools keep children inside when it's raining, despite the Peppa Pig-esque delight they take in jumping in puddles, we now have 'hot play' on top of 'wet play'.
Surely keeping children indoors during hot weather is actually worse for their health than allowing them to play outside?
There should be shaded areas in any playground, and children should wear sunscreen and hats, but one of the great things about hot weather is the fun you can have playing in it.
If the alternative is sitting inside a stuffy classroom on a screen then it is completely self-defeating.
Is it really any wonder so many young people are suffering from anxiety and depression when schools are wrapping them up in this much cotton wool?