A new study finds nowadays in London, the average child between six and 16 years old spends only an hour a day outside and more than 14 hours a week playing video games.
Back in the day, kids used to go outside in the morning and not return home until it got dark.
Kelsey Seybold’s Dr. Pamela Sanders said there's several reasons why that isn't the case today.
“Perception of safety may limit the extent to which some parents will just send their children out to play without supervision. Definitely screen time tends to frequently take over,” said Sanders.
She said the benefits of being outside include sunshine exposure provides Vitamin D, building social skills and developing relationships with neighborhood kids, as well as burning up calories.
The study reports that “four in 10 British adolescents have never gone camping, nearly half have never built a den or fort, and more than half have never climbed a tree.”
Sanders said parents need to be good examples for their children and take the lead. Adults should be the ones to make the effort to get to the park or help with a sporting activity the child might enjoy.
“It’s probably not going to get very far if the parent is sitting in front of the television and just tells the kids, ‘okay, you guys go outside and play’,” said Sanders.
She advises if you're going to be outside right now, drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen and try to do activities in the morning or after 4 pm. But, if not, pools and splash pads are a good option to be out in the brunt of the heat.