University of Exeter Research Finds Children Now Nearly 11 Before Playing Outside Alone

University of Exeter Research Finds Children Now Nearly 11 Before Playing Outside Alone

(IN BRIEF) The University of Exeter has launched a new Outdoor Play Research Centre with a landmark study showing that UK children now start playing outdoors without supervision at an average age of 10.8 years, compared with 9.7 years for their parents’ generation, revealing a “generational play gap.” The Centre, funded by a philanthropic gift and led by Professor Helen Dodd, will study why children are playing independently outdoors less than before and will develop evidence-based solutions to improve access to outdoor play. Based on responses from nearly 2,000 UK parents and caregivers of children aged 5 to 11, the latest British Children’s Play Survey found that 56 percent of parents allow independent play later than they were allowed, less than half of children’s play takes place outdoors, and street play has fallen to less than 25 minutes per week on average. Researchers highlighted potential causes including limited access to high-quality play spaces, increased screen time, busy roads and changing social norms, while also pointing to evidence linking outdoor and adventurous play with lower anxiety, fewer symptoms of depression, greater happiness and more physical activity.

(PRESS RELEASE) EXETER, 15-Aug-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The University of Exeter has launched a new Outdoor Play Research Centre with a landmark study showing that children in the UK are starting independent outdoor play later than previous generations.

The research found that children are now nearly 11 years old when they first play outdoors without supervision.

This is more than a year later than their parents’ generation, with parents reporting that they were allowed to play outdoors independently at an average age of nine.

The findings reveal what researchers describe as a “generational play gap”, highlighting concerns that children are missing out on opportunities for independent outdoor play.

The new Outdoor Play Research Centre is funded by a philanthropic gift and will be led by Professor Helen Dodd, a leading expert in child psychology and play.

Professor Helen Dodd, Director of the Outdoor Play Research Centre, said the generational play gap provides further evidence that children across the country are losing access to independent outdoor play.

She said many adults remember playing outside until the street lights came on and experiencing a first sense of freedom, while today’s children are increasingly missing out on similar experiences.

Professor Dodd said independent outdoor play is linked to better health and wellbeing, including lower anxiety, more positive emotions and increased physical activity.

She added that these are among the key childhood health challenges currently facing society.

The Centre, she said, has been founded on the principle that more must be done for children, with the aim of creating a step change in independent outdoor play through scientific research and partnerships with a wide range of organisations.

The latest British Children’s Play Survey involved nearly 2,000 UK parents and caregivers of children aged 5 to 11.

The results, to be published in a paper titled “Children’s Play and Independent Mobility in 2025,” found that children are now allowed to play outdoors independently at an average age of 10.8 years, compared with 9.7 years for their parents.

Researchers said the delay is significant because independent outdoor play is associated with improved mental health and wellbeing.

They argue that policymakers should treat play as a public health priority.

Experts at the Outdoor Play Research Centre have identified several potential reasons for the delay.

These include a lack of accessible and high-quality places to play, increased screen time, risks from busy roads and changes in social norms.

Recent research by members of the Centre has also shown clear links between outdoor, adventurous play and children’s mental health and wellbeing.

Their findings indicate that more outdoor play is linked to fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression and greater happiness among children aged 5 to 11.

The report also identifies wider trends in children’s play behaviour.

More than half of surveyed parents and caregivers, 56 percent, said they allow their children to engage in independent play later than they themselves were allowed to.

For children aged 5 to 11, less than half of their play now takes place outdoors.

Street play has fallen to less than 25 minutes per week on average, the lowest of the report’s metrics for what has historically been an important space for informal, independent outdoor play.

The research also highlights regional differences.

Across most of Britain, children’s outdoor and adventurous play declines steadily with age.

In London, however, this trend reverses in later primary school, with play levels rising again from around age nine.

Based at the University of Exeter, the new Centre will apply rigorous scientific methods to the study of outdoor play.

It will examine why children growing up in Britain are playing independently outdoors less than ever before.

The Centre will also focus on designing and evaluating scalable solutions that benefit children.

The Outdoor Play Research Centre will bring together leading experts in the field and aims to deliver meaningful and lasting change by championing the importance of play.

It will work closely with key national organisations and charities, with a focus on producing robust evidence that can inform policy and practice.

Sir Sajid Javid, Chair of the University of Exeter fundraising campaign and former UK Health Secretary, said the philanthropic initiative will help researchers understand how children can be given the best possible start in life.

He said time spent playing outdoors has a profound influence on mental health and wellbeing, and that the Centre’s work has the potential to improve the lives of children and adults for generations to come.

A preprint version of the research paper is available online.

Through the launch of the Outdoor Play Research Centre, the University of Exeter is strengthening research into children’s play, health and wellbeing while supporting evidence-based action to improve opportunities for independent outdoor play across the UK.

A pre print version of the paper is available here.

Media Contact:

pressoffice@exeter.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of Exeter