Article for Parliamentary Monitor 22/05/06
Childhood seems to be being eroded today by significant technological, social and economic forces.
Children are facing new problems as they are co-opted into consumerism, and face more risks in the public space, both in local neighbourhoods and in the media.
These changes are also affecting the way children and young people are perceived.
There is a growing sense of alarm at the apparent growth of “yob culture”, even though only 10 per cent of known offenders are under 18. At the same time children and families are the focus of greater attention for politicians and policy-makers.
Some very powerful forces are eroding the protected position that children had in the twentieth century.
The advent of new communications technology is putting children into the same cultural space as adults. The impact of television, videos and the internet in exposing children to material intended for adults is well documented. In a recent survey Sonia Livingstone at the London School of Economics found that British children spend an average of five hours a day watching TV and using other media. On average, 72 per cent of working-class children have a TV in their bedroom.
Alasdair McIntyre wrote: ‘Man is essentially a storytelling animal: It is through hearing stories about wicked stepmothers, lost children, good by misguided kings, wolves that suckle twin bys, youngest sons who receive no inheritance that children learn what the ways of the world are”.
One is bound to question whether a diet of the National Lottery, Neighbours and Nintendo is likely to provide adequate sustenance.
The second major change (and it is in part dependent on the first) is the co-option of children into consumerism.
Over the course of the nineteenth century we successfully took children our of the economy as workers; they are now being brought back as consumers. The number of advertisements watched by British children tops European league tables. On average, British children watch 18,000 adverts per year. This is clearly damaging their health: childhood obesity has doubled since 1998.
Children and adolescents are vulnerable to the pressure to be “cool”: the whole subtext of advertising to them is to play on their self-doubt. Is this responsible when one in five suffer mental illness before they are 15?
At the moment time they could be spending on independent activity is being lost to adult generated entertainment.
Adrian Voce head of the Children’s Play Council says:
“The point about children’ play is that it is entirely spontaneous and natural, requiring no adult interventions or structures; merely enough time, the appropriate space, and the confidence of parents to allow their children to use it”.
A study by University College London in 2004 highlighted the benefit of unstructured play for all ages of children, placing it second only to physical education in calorific intensity. It concluded that ‘walking and playing provide children with more physical activity than most other activities’. Physical education for most children, though, is available, at best, for an hour a week in school and not loved by all.
We cannot make good children even if we wished to do so; but as adults it is our responsibility to provide environments in which they are likely to flourish, physically, emotionally, mentally and developmentally.
A good childhood includes being able to play and explore the world in safety and to learn to negotiate increasing levels of risk over time.
The government has made progress: it’s decision to put £155 million of Lottery Money into children’s play facilities. This means that up and down the country we will soon see new local playgrounds.
But we need to do more. For example:-
1. Planning Regulations that require play space in housing developments
2. Extended school time with games clubs as well as homework
3. To hold the line on Sunday Trading so parents and children have play time together.
