How Big Society needs to help children to play outside

We live in a society where children are either put on a pedestal or demonised. At one extreme are parents who shower their children with love and affection, providing them with any toy, game or gadget they want and rarely letting them out of their sight. But there is also a darker, more disturbing image of a "feral youth" linked inextricably to Asbos, hoodies and knife crime.

It's little wonder, then, that children and adults in this country appear to be at odds with each other – a problem highlighted by new research. The ICM survey, commissioned by children's charity Play England, also suggests that the loss of community spirit in Britain is leading to children not being allowed to play outdoors.

The study questioned more than 1,000 adults and young people about their attitudes to play and children's place in the community. It found that 79 per cent of adults believe community spirit has weakened since they were a child, which won't come as a great surprise, given that many of us look back at our childhood through rose-tinted glasses.

But what is more worrying is the fact that around one in three adults would hesitate before helping a child in need of assistance in their neighbourhood, for fear that the child might be abusive to them.

Moreover, nearly half of men and more than a quarter of women questioned said they would think twice about helping a child in distress, in case they were suspected of attempting to abduct them.

The latter makes for particularly depressing reading as it shows how paranoid we've become with regard to children. We yearn to live in a happy, vibrant neighbourhood where children can play freely in street and green spaces.

Yet at the same time parents worry about letting their children play outside unsupervised and this fear, fuelled by high-profile child abduction stories in the news, has become endemic.

The anxiety is already spreading to children themselves, and they are more concerned about talking to strangers, bullying, or crime than

their parents and grandparents ever were.

The survey shows the growing gulf between children and adults has also been caused by a mutual mistrust. Many young people feel adults

constantly pre-judge them, while older generations frequently view

young people as either disrespectful or out of control.

Some experts attribute the breakdown of this relationship to a lack of rules in children's lives. The consensus in this country is that it is wrong to smack children as a way of making them behave, but then you get teachers claiming they have to spend the first month of each school year "civilising" children who have never had anyone say "no" to them before.

Despite the lack of trust between older and younger generations, if you ask most parents they would probably tell you that seeing youngsters playing outside would improve their neighbourhoods.

Adrian Voce, director of Play England, says the survey highlights both parental fears and the impact they have on youngsters, who feel increasingly isolated.

"More than half the parents we spoke to told us they only feel confident for their children to play outside if other children are playing out, too.

"They want to give children that freedom but are worried about the dangers and about what people will think. The danger is that these anxieties are perpetuating a cycle of children being denied important opportunities to enjoy their childhood and develop healthy, active lifestyles."

This can create problems later in life.

"Children with regular access to spaces they can play in are much more likely to enjoy childhood and grow up healthier and happier.

"We need to build parents' confidence to let their children play out, by tackling the real barriers such as traffic and the lack of good places to play. But we also need to communicate more positive messages about children in public space."

And this – along with creating better places for children to grow up in – is where Mr Voce believes politicians should be giving communities a helping hand.

"The Government should ensure that its Big Society programme builds up community spirit and harnesses the desire that most people have for more child-friendly neighbourhoods, by providing the planning framework and support for local people to make the changes they so clearly want."