Children in England growing up ‘sedentary, scrolling and alone’, say experts

An investigation by the Raising the Nation Play Commission found that children were losing access to outdoor play spaces. Photograph: Roger Askew/Alamy

Children are growing up “sedentary, scrolling and alone” because of a dramatic decline in play in their lives, say a panel of experts who have spent a year investigating play and childhood in England.

The government should ban “no ball games” signs, raise the digital age of consent to 16, restore play to the education system and put in place a statutory “play sufficiency duty” for local authorities, say the panel, who are urgently calling for a cross-departmental national play strategy backed by an annual £125m of funding.