Expert says Aussie kids forgotten how to play blaming nanny-state schools and phone addiction

Aussie kids no longer play outside at recess due to over-bearing teachers and phone addiction, expert says

  • Education experts have said children are losing the ability to play during school  
  • They cite nanny-state schools worried about injuries and phone addiction 
  • Pilot programs focusing on physical activity such as iPlay are finding success 
  • Most experts agree physical activity and play are important for development  

Mobile phone addiction and nanny-state schools are to blame for a generation of kids who have lost the ability to play outdoors, say experts. 

Leading parent educator and author Maggie Dent said the days of kids playing handball at recess or kicking around the football after school are long gone. 

‘They don’t even know how to play dodge ball without someone showing them,’ Ms Dent told the Newscorp. 

‘We are raising brains on seats, sources of data that make schools look good – we are losing touch with raising whole children,’ she said. 

Mobile phone addiction and nanny-state schools are to blame for a generation of kids who have lost the ability to play outdoors, say experts (stock image) 

A pilot program called iPlay, partly funded by the New South Wales Government. that assesses and tries to improve school's policies around play (stock image)

A pilot program called iPlay, partly funded by the New South Wales Government. that assesses and tries to improve school’s policies around play (stock image) 

Ms Dent is writing a paper on the subject which she will present to Education Departments. 

Australian Catholic University’s Professor Chris Lonsdale is another education expert concerned about the lack of physical exercise children are getting. 

He has rolled out a pilot program called iPlay, partly funded by the New South Wales Government, that assesses and tries to improve school’s policies around play. 

The program claims to have shown that one year of proper playtime incorporated to a child’s schooling can reverse three – six years of aerobic fitness decline. 

‘There are some schools that ask children not to bring in sporting equipment because ball games can cause injuries.

‘We don’t want to undermine their physical and emotional development by protecting them too much from reasonable levels of risk that come with being active outside,’ Professor Lonsdale said. 

He said over the last 30 years there has been a decrease in children’s aerobic fitness because they have not been given the opportunity for active play and when they do, they have not developed the skills. 

Former principal and teacher Mark Baker has also criticised anti-play policies saying we have become a ‘nanny state’. 

Mr Baker was one of the first principals to ban mobile phones in his classrooms at the Manly school where he worked. 

He said he saw a worrying number of children not participating in handball or touch football games outside of the classroom and is concerned children are losing the ability to socialise directly. 

Schools that have introduced a ban on mobile phones have said they are noticing a difference in how children act in the playground – asking staff for sports equipment and engaging with each other. 

Most experts agree that physical activity is very important to a child's development (stock image)

Most experts agree that physical activity is very important to a child’s development (stock image) 

 

 

 

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