A child in the city who confuses a Dalmatian with a cow, another who cannot identify the slightest tree in the forest, who has never had the chance to know the taste of a tomato picked in the early morning dew or have fun making a cabin in the woods… A report is concerned about the emergence of a generation of children cut off from nature, of minors who are increasingly “indoor children”, raised between four walls and cut off from nature, believes the High Council for the Family, Children and Age (HCFEA), in a report published Tuesday.
“Children go out less and less and spend less time playing in nature”, notes the report “What place for children in public spaces and nature”, which calls for rethinking the city “from a child's perspective “. “The time spent in public spaces without the accompaniment of an adult and playing outside has decreased in favor of private and enclosed places, and supervised and sedentary activities,” according to the authors. “In barely a generation, we have gone from 'it's good to go out for the children' to 'indoor children'”, observed Sylviane Giampino, president of the HCFEA, at a press conference, attached in Matignon.
The exterior perceived as risky
The outdoor space is perceived as risky for children and unwelcoming: fear of bad encounters, accidents, danger of motorized vehicles, “narrow and cluttered sidewalks, poorly maintained or non-existent”, roads without shops or without lighting, disappearance of building courtyards…, the list listed in the report is long. Some 77% of middle school students are accompanied during their school-to-school journey, 60% of children and adolescents' home-to-school journeys are made by motorized vehicle (32% by car) compared to 38% on foot and 2% by bicycle, notes the body.
“Bedroom culture”
The needs of children are “little taken into account when planning spaces and territories”, regrets the High Council. Standards and regulations restrict or prohibit games (ball, sliding, etc.), the exploration of space and the experimentation with risks, which are essential to the child's development. Confinement, mobility restrictions, closure of classes, sports and cultural venues during the Covid crisis have further strengthened the “bedroom culture”, where friendships through social networks and distractions (games, films and videos) now take place. . One in five children have parents who work on weekends, even though they are a favorite day for family and outdoor outings. The consequences of this withdrawal into the home are multiple: lack of physical activity, obesity, domestic closed doors, loss of social and intergenerational ties, mental health problems, excessive consumption of screens.
