Most British children more indoorsy than inmates: poll

LONDON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Three out of every four children in Britain spend less time outdoors than prisoners, and one in every five does not play outside at all on an average day, a British daily reported Friday, citing a new survey.

Summarizing answers from a nationally representative sample of 2,000 parents of 5 to 12 year olds, the poll found that 74 percent of children spent less than 60 minutes playing outside each day, reported The Guardian.

In comparison, UN guidelines for prisoners require "at least one hour of suitable exercise in the open air daily."

Meanwhile, children spent twice as long playing on screens as playing outside, according to the poll.

Most parents say their children have fewer opportunities to play outside than they did when they were young.

The finding, noted the newspaper, is strongly supported by previous work, including a government report in February that found more than one in every nine children had not visited a park, forest, beach or any other natural environment for at least a year.

It is established science that outdoor activities are essential to the health and development of children.

Worries of strangers, fears of accidents, busy school and work lives, lack of green spaces and the lure of digital technology, to name just a few, are believed to have caused the dramatic shrinkage of the children's open-air time.

"Parents see the value of outdoor play and still it doesn't happen. Outdoor time is shrinking. It is a gigantic paradox," said Sir Ken Robinson, an educationalist and advisor to Unilever, whose Persil brand funded the poll.

"It's time we gave parents the tools, skills and confidence to do the things that they know are good for their children," he was quoted as saying.