Kids No Longer Want to Play Outside. There Are At Least 12 Factors Responsible for That

I bet we all remember these good old days when we would spend hours hanging out together with our peers. Wonderful time... One might wonder then why children today no longer feel like going out to have fun together with their neighbors.

When you compare your childhood to what kids today are up to, you will immediately notice big differences. Children no longer want to run out the moment they have no household chores to do. They don't come back just to grab a bite of something to eat and a glass of water to wash it down. You won’t see them on playgrounds or sports facilities. What has actually happened?

Why are there so much fewer kids playing outdoors?

A lot of housing estates have either very small playgrounds or haven't got any at all. Parking lots are much more popular.

Blocks of flats are inhabited by people of various age. Sometimes these are mostly the elderly, though. With just a few kids living in the whole neighborhood finding a companion to play with becomes a real challenge.

With all squares labeled as 'football-free zones', finding young Maradonas and Messis is virtually impossible.

Children and parents live very intensive lives. Kids have got a number of extra classes (usually imposed by their parents) and in fact there is hardly any time left to play.

Some parents fear that letting their children play is a waste of their potential. They would love them to spend any time doing only useful things. Riding a bike and playing soccer does not match the definition in their view.

Children spend hours in front of their computer screens. Unfortunately this is sometimes because some parents find that really convenient as this is the time when the kids look after themselves.

The excessive amount of visual stimulus (television, computers, smartphones) increase their stress levels and make children much more nervous.

Some parents firmly believe that the world is a very hazardous place and there is always something dangerous their children might fall prey to. That is why they prefer keeping their kids 'locked' at home.

Mother nature is not perceived really friendly by quite a few parents, which is usually nothing but irrational phobia. That is why they will never let their kids go to the woods or even a park.

Overprotection and hypersensitivity are major issues, too. Our children are not going to die any time they walk across a puddle, trip while chasing a friend or eat a piece of grass.

Parenthood these days is one of the mission we have to complete. Parents treat family trips as yet another household chores. Children can read between the lines and that is why they also have got the same attitude.

Children escape into the virtual world as this is a place where their parents can’t control them as much as they do in real world. They do love this advantage.