Latest news with #RaisingTheNationPlayCommission
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Radical measures suggested to reduce children's screen time
A new report from the Raising the Nation Play Commission inquiry urges the UK government to prioritise creating child-friendly, playful neighbourhoods to reduce children's screen time. The report says that playground closures, busier roads, and shorter school breaks have limited children's play opportunities, leading to sedentary lifestyles and deteriorating well-being. The commission calls for a National Play Strategy for England, backed by a £125 million annual investment and led by a 'minister for play', to promote outdoor activities and regulate digital device usage. The inquiry recommends raising the digital age of consent to 16, banning smartphones in schools, and a national ban on "No Ball Games" signs. A poll commissioned by the inquiry reveals that 55 per cent of parents believe their children play outside less than they did, and 76 per cent feel society is less accepting of children playing outdoors.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Are there enough places for you to play outdoors?
Experts are calling on the government to increase the opportunities for children to play outside in England. Outdoor play in England has declined by 50% according to Raising the Nation Play say it's because of playground closures, busier roads, shortened school break times and the use of smartphones. The commission was a year-long independent inquiry which looked into the wellbeing of children in England. The government says it is working with experts to improve access to activities outside of you think there are enough places to play outside? What would you like to see more of to get children playing outside? Let us know in the comments below. What is the report calling for? The report is asking the government to improve access to activities outside of school. Their recommendations to the government include: A national ban on "no ball games" signs Updating planning policy so developers have to get views from kids on any new developments like new parksProtecting play at break time and lunch time at school and banning teachers being able to take play time away as a punishmentOpening up school playgrounds to the whole community outside of school hoursRaise the digital age of consent to 16 and ban phones in schools According to the report, there are more than 7,000 signs in London stopping more than half a million children from playing freely. It's already a legal requirement for local authorities to make sure there are enough opportunities for children to play in Scotland and the Northern Ireland Executive has also put a focus on play in their Children's and Young People's Strategy 2020-2023. This explored children's opportunities to play in Northern children in England don't have the legal right to of the commission, Paul Lindley, says in England "we've made it incredibly hard for children to play"."We need to give our children back the time, space, opportunity, freedom - and the right - to play again." What has the government said? A government spokesperson said its Plan for Change was "setting young people up to achieve and thrive – both inside and outside the classroom", and that it is investing in grassroots sports facilities and in a programme to help turn "grey school spaces green".They added: "We recognise the vital importance of play and access to nature as part of children's development and wellbeing as we strive to create the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever."Schools already have the power to completely ban phones in the classroom and the overwhelming majority - 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools - limit or restrict use."And from July, new rules under the Online Safety Act will require social media platforms to protect children in the UK from seeing harmful content online."
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Children in England growing up ‘sedentary, scrolling and alone', say experts
Children are growing up 'sedentary, scrolling and alone' because of a dramatic decline in play in their lives, say a panel of experts who have spent a year investigating play and childhood in England. The government should ban 'no ball games' signs, raise the digital age of consent to 16, restore play to the education system and put in place a statutory 'play sufficiency duty' for local authorities, say the panel, who are urgently calling for a cross-departmental national play strategy backed by an annual £125m of funding. The experts leading the Raising the Nation Play Commission report, the entrepreneur Paul Lindley and former children's commissioner Anne Longfield, say that failure to provide children with the spaces they need outside the home is leading to a huge loss of outdoor play and independence. Lady Longfield, executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said: 'Too many of our children are spending their most precious years sedentary, doomscrolling on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates. It is no coincidence that the least happy generation, the generation with the highest rates of obesity and rising ill health, is the generation that plays less and less. The commission brought together 19 experts, from doctors to play campaigners, to act as commissioners and then held a series of evidence sessions hearing from children, parents and professionals around the country. One of the key arguments experts made is that the rise in time spent on smartphones and gaming devices is being driven not just by the ubiquity of screens themselves, but by the loss of alternative ways and places for children to play. From traffic-dominated streets to the huge decline in youth clubs and loss of funds for playgrounds, experts pointed to the decline in neighbourhood spaces where children could actually play freely. Ingrid Skeels, co-director of Playing Out, was one of the 19 commissioners and has spent 15 years campaigning for children to have safer streets to play on. 'The findings here confirm what we have been warning for years – children are being driven indoors by a lack of safe spaces to play, move and socialise freely. We can't just blame overprotective parents and screens – we have to make the outside world a place children can play in real life. It's brilliant to have this in-depth, rigorous report confirm what we have heard from families for years, now it's time for action.' Children themselves also gave their thoughts to the commission through a youth panel. A girl in year 7 in London told the commission that children should go outside and be exposed to some risks, saying: 'If you don't let your child out at some point, your child is never gonna learn … parents should give their children a bit more freedom and free will so that children will be aware of the real world.' Young people described local play spaces that are limited, costly, or have been removed. 'There's not much to do and the things that there are cost a lot of money,' said one panellist. Children also repeatedly told the panel that there isn't enough time in the schoolday to play, and described how school work dominated life outside too. 'The reason we don't have time to play', one year 7 child said, 'is because we've got stress, we're doing homework. All the homework Monday to Friday, we've got massive lines […] at lunch and break with barely any time to do anything. I feel like we should have a bit longer so we have more time to go outside and stuff'. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Last year the Guardian reported that shrinking outside space at schools and less time in the day for play are having a damaging impact on children's wellbeing and physical health. The chairs and commissioners also looked at 'better' practice in countries where children play more widely. In Finland the commission met the Ministry of Education and Culture, who described how 'play is a backbone throughout the schoolday as it is in childhood more widely'. Guidance in Finland recommends that children should have a 15-minute break for every 45 minutes of learning, with studies showing shorter lessons with more frequent breaks increase attentiveness. Lindley said:'[A]s this report shows, in England we've made it incredibly hard for children to play. 'We have visited countries where children's play is at the heart of government strategy – embedded across education, health, local government and beyond – because it is seen as the central fabric of life. All of this is within our grasp in this country, but England needs a national play strategy to make it happen.' Asked about the report, a government spokesperson said: 'We recognise the vital importance of play and access to nature as part of children's development and wellbeing as we strive to create the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever. 'Through our 'plan for change', we are setting young people up to achieve and thrive – both inside and outside the classroom. We have given hundreds of thousands of children the tools to turn their grey school spaces green as part of our National Education Nature Park, we are opening up grassroots sports to all with £100m investment in facilities.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Ban 'no ball games' signs to get children off devices, play experts say
Play experts want to ban "no ball games" signs and protect playtime during school breaks, to reduce the time children spend on are being forced "indoors on to digital devices", according to the Raising the Nation Play Commission, whose year-long inquiry calls for an end to "anti-play culture".It warns outdoor play in England has declined by 50% in a generation because of streets dominated by traffic, fear about crime and "public spaces where young people are not welcome".The government says it is working with experts to develop a framework to improve access to activities outside of school. The report is calling for a national Play Strategy for England and has made a number of recommendations including:A national ban on "no ball games" signsUpdating planning policy to require developers to consult with children on all new developmentsGovernment guidance protecting play at break time and lunchtime in schools and banning practices like withdrawing playtime for poor behaviourOpening up school playgrounds to the community outside of school hoursRaising the digital age of consent to 16 and a ban on phones in schoolsChair of the commission, Paul Lindley, says in England "we've made it incredibly hard for children to play"."Creating truly playful communities is not just about better street design, traffic management, and reduced crime, but also about a reversal of the growing culture of intolerance towards children playing."In London, there are more than 7,000 signs limiting play for more than half a million children, according to the councils are beginning to remove signs amid concerns that children are exercising less. For Samantha and her four-year-old son Chester, who live in Blackpool, having a playground far away from traffic is vital."It's free," she says and it's somewhere her son can play without having to worry "about someone coming to tell him he can't"."A lot of children are growing up and don't have the opportunity to be able to go to other places or travel, so having somewhere close to home, that is free, is so important."More than 400 playgrounds closed in England from 2012 to 2022 and annual park budgets have fallen, the report Better Start, which helps families with young children like Chester, has been working to transform the city's less used parks and green spaces over the last ten years."It is so important for families to have safe spaces to play. Families identify with the park. They feel a sense of ownership and they feel like it belongs to them," director Clare Law explains. And there are calls for changes in schools 1995, break times in schools were around 23 minutes longer for young children than they are now, the report found. The commission wants to see playtime during breaks and lunchtime at St Ambrose Catholic Academy in Liverpool are guaranteed an hour's quality play every Tracy Moorcroft says it is a massive part of the school day."If they are building, we see them as future architects, if they're in the kitchen, could they be the next future chef? We try to link their play with aspirations for later in life."But Ms Moorcroft is less convinced about the idea of having "always-active uniforms" which have already been introduced in some says the school has "very high standards" for the uniform, as the children are being prepared for life beyond the get to wear their PE kit some days and wear wellies and coats so they can go outside regardless of the weather. General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Pepe Di'Iasio agrees that playtime has been squeezed "by the drive to improve academic outcomes", but cautioned against an "overly prescriptive approach to play" as this may impact on other areas of the Wales and Scotland have already made it a legal requirement for local authorities to ensure enough opportunities for children to commission in England is calling for a national play strategy with an annual budget of £125m, led by a minister with a responsibility for Anne Longfield from the Centre for Young Lives think tank, who worked on the report, said it should provide a "blueprint for how we can get children playing again and also tackle the scourge of addictive doom-scrolling".A government spokesperson said its Plan for Change was "setting young people up to achieve and thrive – both inside and outside the classroom", and that it is investing in grassroots sports facilities and in a programme to help turn "grey school spaces green". "From July, new rules under the Online Safety Act will require social media platforms to protect children in the UK from seeing harmful content online," the spokesperson reporting by Hayley Clarke and Rahib Khan
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Government told to ditch 'NO BALL GAMES' signs and ban phones in schools after screens blamed for 50pc decline in time playing outside
'No Ball Games' signs should be banned to encourage children to stop 'doomscrolling' on mobile phones as outdoor play has halved in a generation, the Government has been urged. A new inquiry calls for smartphones to be banned in schools as part of a national strategy to get young people outdoors and 'disrupt the addictive grip of digital devices on children's lives'. Time spent playing outside has declined by 50 per cent in a generation and children now travel shorter and shorter distances independently, the research found. More than half of parents believe their youngest child plays outside less than they did and 75 per cent agree that society is less accepting of children playing out than when they were children. Cuts to clubs and playgrounds, busier roads and increased fears among parents and children about safety have left children with fewer places to play, the Raising the Nation Play Commission found. Children's independence to play outside has shrunk dramatically over the last 30 years, impacting their health and happiness and increasing screen time, the year-long independent inquiry found. Paul Lindley, chair of the commission, said that play is a 'crucial and innate part of childhood' and needs to be at the 'heart of government strategy' for children's education and wellbeing. He said: 'It is one of the most powerful tools we have to boost children's physical activity, wellbeing, and confidence. Yet as this report shows, in England we've made it incredibly hard for children to play.' Mr Lindley said that safe streets, reduced crime and the 'reversal of the growing culture of intolerance towards children playing' is crucial to make it safer for kids to play outdoors. 'This will also encourage more parents to have confidence they can let their children play out more freely, in the knowledge that their children will be both having a great time and are also safe,' he added. Among the proposals to increase childrens' time spent outdoors is a ban on 'No Ball Games' signs, raising the 'digital age of consent' to 16 from 13 to keep younger children off social media, restoring play to the national curriculum and banning phones during the school day. Researchers argue that getting children off the sofa and outdoors would be a 'powerful tool' for reducing obesity and tackling the crises in youth mental health and school attendance. The proposals have the backing of more than 1,000 GPs, headteachers, charity bosses and council leaders, who have written to ministers to call for a new 'national play strategy' to be established. Among those backing the proposals is former Children's Commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield, who said that 'too many of our children are spending their most precious years sedentary, doom scrolling on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates'. She added: 'Play is being squeezed out of childhoods, with drastic implications for children, our economy and public services. 'With so much at stake children really have everything to play for: their health, wellbeing, happiness, learning, and development depends on our ability to reignite the role of play.'
