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The British minister is putting pressure on him to stem the long-term decline in children’s playtime. This has warned lawmakers and experts that it has led to the loss of important social skills, learning and health across the country.
Parliamentarians are asking the government to implement a “national play strategy” in the UK to increase the amount of time children spend playing outdoors.
“The world of children has been significantly reduced over the last 50 years,” said former child Commissioner Barones Anne Longfield. “They spend a huge amount of time indoors now, and often on screens.
“It dramatically impacts their independence, social skills and their confidence in navigating the world,” she added. “We need to regain our childhood.”
The right to play is wrapped in law in Scotland and Wales. This means that schools are legally required to integrate recreation into break times and ensure that external spaces include areas for the purposes of play.
However, after the final scheme was abandoned by the conservative-led coalition in 2010, there is no such requirement in the UK.
Tom Hayes, a Labour MP for Bournemouth East, is behind the establishment of the party’s parliamentary group for a play to launch in the House in May.
“Unlike Scotland and Wales, there is no national framework to secure local action, funding and policies,” Hayes said. “The national play strategy is an investment in the very goals of the government and ensures that children are seen, heard and supported.”
A national play strategy was implemented in 2008 by the last Labour government, when Ministers Ed Balls and Andy Burnham pledged £235 million to improve children’s access to recreation.
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The policy funded 3,500 or refurbished play areas and 30 large adventure play areas, but was abandoned two years later as part of the Union Government’s austerity agenda. Children’s access to play is steadily deteriorating, experts say.
According to the 2024 Green Space Index, a third of children under the age of 9 live in more than a 10-minute walk from the nearest play area.
Children play most adventurously in play centres, parks and green spaces, but research shows that UK preschoolers spend most of their playtime indoors. Girls and children from ethnic minority backgrounds are disproportionately less likely to play outside.
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There is evidence that parents change attitudes across generations, making parents more risk averse.
According to a 2022 survey, over 80% of people aged 55 to 64 years old said they had the freedom to perform regularly on the streets and explore freely compared to a quarter of young children.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, the UK signatories, recognizes play as a fundamental right. However, Eugene Minogue, executive director of the campaign organization, has warned of “stable erosion” in both clauses since the last national strategy was removed.
“We’re seeing the outcomes now: growing anxiety, health, fragmented communities,” he said.
An independent investigation into the play in the UK began last June, with Longfield, executive chair at Young Live Centre, and Paul Lindley, entrepreneur and children’s campaigner. The interim recommendations in February called for the government to establish a new national strategy.
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The Raish the Nation Play Committee, which led the survey, recommended that the Department of Education take time to play on school day, and Education Regulatory Authority Sted Ofsted include PlayTime in its evaluation criteria.
Schools reduce playtime for all ages. According to the committee, daily breaks at English schools have been reduced by almost a quarter between 1995 and 2021 for children aged 5 to 7.
The Ministry of Education said it is taking action to help thousands of schools improve outdoor spaces. “We are committed to ensuring that all young people have an opportunity to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.”
The government said grant funds were put into £15 million in the National Educational Natural Park Scheme. This is to “change the basis for a green space where children can connect with nature and play with them.”
