Experts' concern as the age when parents let children play out alone rises

Parents are not allowing unsupervised play until children are older, but some experts say this lack of freedom is damaging for them.

At what age would you let your children play out alone?

It's an issue which divides parents, with many saying it's not just age that needs to be taken into consideration, but it also depends on the individual child, their friends and the area you live.

And although there's no set age in law when children can go out unsupervised, research has found the age at which parents are allowing their children this freedom is rising.

The British Children’s Play Survey has found today's children are on average 11 years old before they are allowed out alone, which has increased by two years over the last generation.

While their parents were allowed to play outside unsupervised by the age of nine on average, today’s children are in Year Six or Seven at primary school by the time they are given that same freedom.

But some experts say this 'protective' behaviour by parents isn't necessarily a good thing, and warned not enough adventurous play could affect children’s long-term physical and mental health.

'There is a trend to be protective'

The study, which asked more than 1,900 parents of five-to-11-year-olds about their children’s play, was led by Dr Helen Dodd, a professor of child psychology at the University of Reading.

She told The Guardian if children are not having enough freedom to play outside, it can have detrimental effects on them.

She said: 'In the largest study of play in Britain, we can clearly see that there is a trend to be protective and to provide less freedom for our children now than in previous generation.

'The concerns we have from this report are twofold.

'First, we are seeing children getting towards the end of their primary school years without having had enough opportunities to develop their ability to assess and manage risk independently.

'Second, if children are getting less time to play outdoors in an adventurous way, this may have an impact on their mental health and overall wellbeing.'

Dr Tim Gill, the author of Urban Playground also told the newspaper the study shows children have been 'subject to a gradual, creeping lockdown over at least a generation.

He said: 'Thanks to the pandemic, we all know what lockdown feels like.

'This groundbreaking study shows that British children have been subject to a gradual, creeping lockdown over at least a generation.

'The reasons are different, with social changes, safety fears, technology and traffic growth all arguably playing a part.

'However, the end result for all too many children is the same: boredom, isolation, inactivity and poorer mental and physical health. The consequences for their development and wellbeing should not be underestimated.'

The results also found, on average, children play for around three hours per day, with around half of children’s play happening outdoors.

Away from home, the most common places for children to play are playgrounds and green spaces.

At what age would you let your child out alone? Let us know in the chat thread below.

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