The average British child spends just seven hours a week outside, but more than than twice that amount of time playing video games.
That’s according to a shocking new survey, which found that 40 per cent of parents have to force their children to leave the house in order to spend time outdoors.
Researchers said the rise of video games like survival shooter Fortnite means children are increasingly choosing to spend their free time cooped-up inside.
Experts have previously warned that active play is essential to the development and long-term health of children, helping them to fend off the development of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease in adulthood.
The average child spends just seven hours a week outside, but more than than twice that amount playing video games. A shocking new survey found that 40 per cent of parents have to force their children to leave the house in order to spend time outdoors (stock image)
In the new study, experts at market research firm OnePoll surveyed 2,000 British parents and children to investigate the recreational habits of six to 16-year-olds.
They found that two in five of Britain’s youngest generation have never gone camping, while almost half have never built a den or fort, or climbed a tree.
The average British adolescent prefers a host of activities to playing outside, including playing video games, watching TV, surfing the web, and listening to music.
One in ten of the children surveyed even said they would rather do their homework inside than spend time in the great outdoors.
OnePoll, which has offices in London and Bristol, conducted the survey for sports retailer Decathlon.
Chris Allen, a department manager at Decathlon, said: ‘With games such as “Fortnite” taking over the lives of many young children, they would prefer to stay indoors than kick a football around with friends or wander through the woods.
Researchers said the rise of video games like survival shooter Fortnite means children are increasingly choosing to stay indoors over playing outside (file photo)
‘Today’s generation of children have more things than ever before to encourage them to stay inside – and it seems these gadgets are keeping them from enjoying the great outdoors.
‘We want to encourage parents and their children to head outside and enjoy a real-life family adventure.’
Parents expressed concern over the amount of time their children spend outdoors.
More than two-thirds of those surveyed said they worry their children aren’t outdoors enough, while nearly four in ten said getting their children out of the house was such a struggle that they had to force them to do so.
Three in five parents blamed video games like Fortnite for their children’s aversion to outdoor activities.
Meanwhile, seventy-five per cent said they spent more time outside than their children when they were their age.
To maintain a basic level of health, children aged five to 18 should get at least one hour of physical activity every day, according to the NHS.
However, figures from an NHS health survey published in December 2016 revealed just 22 per cent of children in England achieve this target.
In children under five, less than one in ten meet the guidelines for their age.
Children are paying a huge cost for sedentary lifestyles encouraged by the huge time they spend on social media, in front of computer screens, televisions and devices, putting them at increased risk of conditions in later life such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Effects can be emotional, too. Numerous studies have found British children are some of the unhappiest in the world.
A recent international paper put the UK 38th out of 48 countries for overall happiness of 15 year olds.
The good news is that meeting the daily exercise and screen-time requirements can make a huge difference.
Last year, a US study found that children who follow government advice on physical activity, screen time and sleep have an 89 per cent lower risk of being obese.
WHAT IS FORTNITE?
Fortnite is a game that originally launched as a disk back in July 2017 and was then turned into a free-to-download game by its developer, Epic Games, in September.
There are three forms of the game: ‘Battle Royale’, ‘Save The World’ and ‘Playground’.
Save the world is the original form of the game and is currently not available to play as part of the free-to-download game, instead it comes as part of a £30 ($40) extra.
It is a co-op mode with a story that’s playable solo or online with friends.
Fortnite is a battle royale-style survival shooter where players create a superhero avatar and compete against each other on a dystopian island
Users compete in teams of up to three to complete a variety of missions.
It is rumoured that the game will be added to the free-to-play version of the game in the future.
Whilst Save The World may be the original version of the game, its sister mode is by far the most popular.
Battle Royale is a game of survival where players create a superhero avatar and compete against each other on a dystopian island.
Each game, or ‘match’ as each competition is known, starts with 100 players.
The aim of the game is to be the last one standing. Users can form allegiances and play in small groups.
To enable this and the interactive experience, the game allows completely open communication between players.
Inspired by the Hunger Games novels and films, gamers search for weapons to help them survive.
Armed with quirky weapons and amusing dances, the game has swept across the gaming world, with children flocking to it.
While there is no exact figure on how many children play Fortnite, the game has so far pulled in an audience of over 125 million players.
Playground is the latest addition to the game and is a consequence free mode with more loot and unlimited respawning to allow players to get creative.
It involved groups of up to four people working as a team and the players can hone their skills as the practise in advance of entering Battle Royale where they will face better players.