Posted on 12/03/2025 10:21:47 AM PST by daniel1212
New research shows that a substantial proportion of children aren’t playing outdoors at all, even on the weekends...researchers focused on a subset of 2,568 children between the ages of 7 and 12, analyzing responses from surveys filled out by the children and their parents...
All told, 34% of kids reported not playing outdoors during weekdays, and 20% reported not playing outdoors during weekends. And based on their parents’ responses, the more the children played outside, the better their social-emotional skills were on average. Children with these skills are more able to clearly express their emotions or build positive relationships with others...
A 2023 study found that nearly 40% of American preschool-aged kids played less than an hour outside on weekdays, while 24% played less than an hour outside on weekends, for instance. Many studies have also tracked a steady decline in unstructured playtime dating back decades among kids in the U.S. and other countries.
(Excerpt) Read more at gizmodo.com ...
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Other findings:
Several factors contribute to the decrease in outdoor play, including:
The Decline of Outdoor Play: How the Digital Age is Changing Childhood Development
The children of the 1970s and 1980s may have spent several hours playing outside after school on weekdays and all day on weekends, whereas today’s children are more likely to be found indoors playing video games, listening to music, watching TV, or participating in the racket of structured activities.
Increased screen time: With the emerging trends of tablets, smartphones, video games, and on-demand TV, children have more opportunities than ever to entertain themselves at home without leaving the house. Drawn to these devices and immersive playing digital games or social media, children increasingly engage in screen-based play rather than outdoor play...
with population increase and move towards cities, the children are kept in limited safe, open spaces to play outside.
one of the immediate and pressing consequences .. 1. Escalating Epidemic of Obesity among Children
Developmental Delay in Motor Skills..
Decreased Creativity and Imaginative Powers
Less Anxieties and Stress
Shrinking Attention Span
Development of Social Skills and Co-Operation
Fostering Independence and Problem-Solving
Developing Resilience and Taking Risks
-https://medium.com/the-storm-of-words-un-said/the-decline-of-outdoor-play-how-the-digital-age-is-changing-childhood-development-b8c227859070
Thus a lack of immunity from so much outside. Guess eating dirt a few times wasn’t such a bad thing as a kid. 😳😂👍
Not only do the children have little exposure to maleness, whether in real life or in literature, history, and culture. but their mothers have little exposure to it as well, and after a generation or two, it shows.
A 1960 child not only had a father and his father’s friends and a male world, but the mom also lived in that world and she would kick the boys out of the house so that she could get things done and get some quiet, in voting and life she had a good sense of maleness and was influenced by it, women had a better sense of balance.
Today no one is really in charge in a household, and it isn’t only the girls who want to play inside and pursue passive activities.
Pretty much if I wasn't in school, eating, sleeping or doing homework, I was outside.
Gone are the days when our parents told us, “I don’t want to see you back here until dinnertime.”
“A 1960 child....”
That’s me and as far as I’m concerned you nailed it.....only thing I would add is Christian faith was far more prominent back then and in elementary school we prayed, sung patriotic songs and said the Pledge of Allegiance EVERY morning.
Or “Until the street lights come on”
In my neighborhood, we would only see a handful of kids playing outside until a few years ago. Suddenly, when one family with 4 kids moved in, those children spent LOTS of time outside. With the range of ages from 3-12, soon all the other kids in that age range were playing outside. It has been quite the transformation in 2 years time. Bikes, dolls, sidewalk drawings, girls making friendship bracelets, pick up ball games. It’s been great to see it go from mostly quiet to mostly active. Very refreshing.
I have to caveat this with the opinion that we live in a modern day Mayberry. Small Midwest town that has some of the modern problems, but tries to tackle them with the helpful Midwest spirit of genuine friendliness, respect, and we-can-get-it-done.
“Mayberry: it’s not a place, it’s a state of mind.” - from the movie, “Mayberry Man” (which was mostly filmed in my town).
Gay Boy Scouts is another way to block interest in the outdoors.
My daughter, an accomplished soon to be professional Broadway dancer, barely knew how to ride a bicycle as a kid....the vast majority of my life was spent outside, on my bike, from the ages of 6 to 14YO
Not in my neighborhood anymore. See my post 9.
Gone are the days when I would throw myself on the ground crying when my mother told me it’s time to come inside and take a bath.....
Several of the thinks I enjoyed would get me arrested today.
Liberals wanted a risk-averse world and that ruined things for many kids.
Here’s my observation.
A lot of families in my neighborhood are Indian, and their kids do play outside, a lot play basketball, or on their bikes, or playing Cricket with a tennis ball. But certainly more than the typical “American” kids.
I’m not sure that we have even one Indian family in my neighborhood, so for us, it’s not that at all. There might be one, in a neighborhood with 100 families, but if one exists, they are quiet. If there is one, I would suspect they are an older couple.
Parents fault.
101%.
I noticed, back in the late eighty’s and nineties as I drove through major cities and suburbs (truck driver), no kids outside playing in yards, empty playgrounds, no kids on bicycles, on baseball diamonds etc. That was the big spread of cable tv. I always kicked all the grand kids outside and told them to find something else to do the rest of the day.
Because they can’t anymore without supervision. My great grandad used to ride the subways in New York city alone - when he was nine years old. Today a kid can’t play out in their fenced backyard alone with some nosy neighbor calling CPS on their parents.
Because they can’t anymore without supervision. My great grandad used to ride the subways in New York city alone - when he was nine years old. Today a kid can’t play out in their fenced backyard alone with some nosy neighbor calling CPS on their parents.
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