A Shocking Number of Kids Don’t Play Outside An alarming percentage of children aren't spending any free time outdoors, even on weekends. [more in comment

gizmodo.com ^ | September 3, 2025 | Ed Cara

[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.

[stanne]

“What are you DOING in this HOUSE?!”

“Turn off that Television!”

[stanne]

That’s the problem

Rather have a shaking spoiled antisocial disaster of a kid than deal with an abduction

[Vaduz]

Yes the great outdoors was a wonderful place to be and a lot to do.

[MeanWestTexan]

My kids played outdoors, but it’s because we lived on a ranch with the nearest neighbor 12 or so miles away (and a paved road 2 miles away).

When we lived in the city, they really didn’t. It just wasn’t safe from perverts.

[woodbutcher1963]

We wonder why the almost ALL the good Major League Baseball players are from the Dominican Republic and other foreign countries.

No one plays pick up ball anymore.

[woodbutcher1963]

You’ll shoot you eye out kid.

We used to go out with a BB gun or pellet rifle.

Now, if you go out and play “guns”, some Karen will call the police.

[dfwgator]

I think in about 20 years most NFL players will be foreign-born.

[woodbutcher1963]

I think there are more NFL players from American Samoa than any other place in the world per capita.

I realize it is technically a territory of the USA.
I think the Pellosi’s have a tuna cannery there.

They grow them BIG and fast on American Samoa. I wonder IF Alabama has recruiters there?

[dfwgator]

I could see a lot of players coming from Africa, too.

Just look what’s happened to the English Premier League.

[Ann Archy]

Mostly it’s PERVERTS and BAD PARENTS!

[woodbutcher1963]

I guess we will know for sure when the NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots is played live in Nairobi and starts at 7:30 EST.

Kenyan’s LOVE Drake Maye.

[frank ballenger]

Kids would say the glare of the Sun outside makes it difficult to see their phone messages.

Magazine cartoon from a few years ago.
Girl talking on phone in her home. Teenagers are sitting on couch and chairs in the living room.

“So some of the kids are coming over here to stare at their phones and have some snacks. Want to come over?”

[frank ballenger]

on the ground crying when my mother told me it’s time to come inside and take a bath.....

But today the woke types in the anti-ICE protests never come inside to take a bath. Ever.

ICE agent's gas masks are for getting downwind of them.

[healy61]

There was a show about parenting children with problems. They would have a counselor observe and advise the family. I noticed the children were always indoors to play. Plus the children were plainly violent little shits. Unlikable to society.

[Carriage Hill]

” Guess eating dirt a few times wasn’t such a bad thing as a kid.”

Microbes and bacteria were tasty, back then.

[FamiliarFace]

The family that moved here a few years ago had lived on several acres in the country before moving here, so they were used to playing outside. They have been the impetus for the rest of the neighborhood families, and it’s so great to see. We are pretty close knit, so if we see any strangers around, we usually know. However, perverts can be family members, too, so you just have to watch out for that.

[daniel1212]

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.

You got it.

[daniel1212]

My fondest memories from childhood came from outdoor activities whether from interactions with neighborhood kids (maybe including a few fights) or with my family members on camping and fishing trips. It gave me skills, and feelings of independence and confidence that I took into later life

Same here. Thank God

[daniel1212]

Gone are the days when our parents told us, “I don’t want to see you back here until dinnertime.”

!

[daniel1212]

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.

Good, but take away the smartphone and gaming console and you would see that occur naturally,.