Children growing up 'sedentary, alone and scrolling' as space to play declines

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.

- Harriet Grant

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 annual funding of £125m.

The experts leading the Raising the Nation Play Commission report, the entrepreneur Paul Lindley and the 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.