'Free children from their smartphones' - why millions should be spent getting West Midlands youngsters to play properly again

Closures of playgrounds, busier roads, shortened school break times and the dominance of screentime have restricted children's opportunities to play, a report has suggested. 

Urgent action is needed to create more opportunities for children to play outdoors and away from digital devices and social media, according to a report released today by the Raising the Nation Play Commission inquiry. 

It warned: "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." 

The commission was chaired by Paul Lindley, founder of organic baby food manufacturer Centre for Young Lives think tank, which was co-founded by the former children's commissioner for England Baroness Anne Longfield. 

It has called on the Government to establish a National Play Strategy for England, backed by an annual £125 million investment and led by a "minister for play". 

The strategy should include a commitment to a "step-change" in the quantity and quality of children's use of digital devices through stronger regulation, public engagement and information, and addressing addictive "push" factors that have driven children online, the report added. 

The inquiry has called on the Government to raise the digital age of consent to 16 and introduce a ban on smartphones in schools during the school day. 

It added that it should become easier for parents to organise "safe play" in their streets, and there should be a national ban on "No Ball Games" signs. 

A poll of 2,000 parents in England, commissioned by the inquiry, suggested that 55 per cent of parents believe their youngest child plays outside less than they did when they were children. Around three in four parents agree that people are generally less accepting of children playing outside on the street than when they were a child, according to the poll. 

The Raising the Nation Play Commission brought together 19 expert commissioners to conduct a year-long inquiry into how play can be restored to every childhood in England. 

Lady Longfield, executive chairwoman 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. As we have heard from a swathe of experts and professionals working with children over the last year, 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. This report provides a blueprint for how we can get children playing again and also tackle the scourge of addictive doomscrolling, so we can prevent future generations from becoming glued to screens." 

Technology Secretary Pete Kyle has indicated he is considering an "app cap" for children, with measures to restrict the amount of time children spend on their phones, including through a possible 10pm curfew. 

Paul Lindley, chairman of the Raising the Nation Play Commission, said: "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. This will also encourage more parents to let their children play out more freely, in the knowledge that their children will be both having a great time and are also safe. We need to give our children back the time, space, opportunity, freedom – and the right – to play again."

STAR COMMENT:

 It is the debate raging in every home of teenagers across the West Midlands – just how much time should be spent staring into a screen. And how do we persuade our children to get outside and play like children.  

Today’s new report paints a picture of a perfect storm.

Previous generations would spend their spare time outdoors, in all weather – hanging around at playgrounds, football with jumpers for goalposts, travelling the streets on battered bicycles.

Nowadays there are so many reasons for parents to keep their children indoors – from busier roads to a fear of crime in a region where gangs and knife crime are a real issue.

There have also been a widespread closures of playgrounds and shortened school break times that limit the opportunity to get out and explore.

That means that, for many households, the easier option is to stay indoors and find entertainment where you can – and for many the default mode is to dig out the phone and trawl TikTok.

The Raising the Nation Play Commission inquiry today calls for urgent action to reverse the trend. It calls for more opportunities for children to play outdoors and away from digital devices and social media – to exercise the body and mind through a healthy interaction with other children.

The report calls on the Government to establish a National Play Strategy for England, backed by an annual £125 million investment and led by a "minister for play".

It sounds like a lot of money, but this is a real issue that threatens to introduce a whole generation dominated by social media junkies. 

Frankly, we cannot afford not to invest in work to get our children playing again.