Call for ‘No Ball Games’ signs to be scrapped as play being ‘squeezed out of childhoods’

The government is being urged to ban “No Ball Game” signs and tackle the “addictive grip” of smartphones following a report into childhood play.

The report by the Raising the Nation Play Commission inquiry says urgent action is needed to create more opportunities for children to play outdoors and away from digital devices.

It is calling for curbs on smartphone use to get children playing again and “tackle the scourge of addictive doomscrolling”.

Its recommendations include:

• Child-friendly, playful neighbourhoods;
• A national ban on “No Ball Games” signs;
• A school ban on smartphones during the school day;
• Raising the age of digital consent from 13 to 16, restricting children from opening online accounts;
• Tougher regulations to tackle the “addictive grip of smartphones and social media“.

Closures of playgrounds, busier roads, shortened school break times and the dominance of screen time have restricted children’s opportunities to play, according to the report.

The commission is urging the government to establish a National Play Strategy for England, backed by an annual £125m investment and led by a “minister for play”.

It brought together 19 expert commissioners to conduct a year-long inquiry into how play can be restored to every childhood in England.

Lady Longfield, executive chairwoman of the Centre for Young Lives, said: “Too many of our children are spending their most precious years sedentary, doomscrolling on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates.

“Play is being squeezed out of childhoods, with drastic implications for children, our Economy and public services.”

A poll of 2,000 parents in England, commissioned by the inquiry, suggested that 55% of parents believe their youngest child plays outside less than they did when they were children.

Around three in four parents (76%) agreed that people are generally less accepting of children playing outside on the street than when they were children.

The commission was chaired by Paul Lindley, founder of organic baby food manufacturer Ella’s Kitchen, in partnership with the Centre for Young Lives think tank, which was co-founded by the former children’s commissioner for England, Baroness Anne Longfield.

Mr Lindley said: “Creating truly playful communities is not just about better street design, traffic management, and reduced crime, but also about a reversal of the growing culture of intolerance towards children playing.

“This will also encourage more parents to have confidence they can let their children play out more freely, in the knowledge that their children will be both having a great time and are also safe.

Measures to ban smartphones in schools were dropped by Labour MP Josh MacAlister. His backbench bill to raise the age of digital consent from 13 to 16 was also watered down.

On Sunday, Technology Secretary Pete Kyle suggested he was looking at “app cap”, restricting the amount of time children spend on their phones, including through a possible 10pm curfew.

A government spokesperson said: “Through our Plan for Change, we are setting young people up to achieve and thrive – both inside and outside the classroom.

“We have given hundreds of thousands of children the tools to turn their grey school spaces green as part of our National Education Nature Park, we are opening up grassroots sports to all with £100m investment in facilities and we are working with experts to develop a framework to improve access to activities outside of school.

“Schools already have the power to completely ban phones in the classroom and the overwhelming majority – 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools – limit or restrict use.

“And from July, new rules under the Online Safety Act will require social media platforms to protect children in the UK from seeing harmful content online.”