--- description: About 3/4 of kids in the UK are spending less than an hour outside on an average day title: U.K. Kids Spend Less Time Outside Than Prison Inmates: Study image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc767309e9beadb6/69888c99428a9e593acd1f78/515719714.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.K. Kids Spend Less Time Outside Than Prison Inmates, Study Says by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 25, 2016 6:23 PM CUT  Aadit, using an iPad for games under his mother's supervision as Children and smart devices - Studies have shown that time-bound exposure to games can actually help kids develop better sight, reflexes as well as analytical skills on May 18, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Mint—Hindustan Times via Getty Images Aadit, using an iPad for games under his mother's supervision as Children and smart devices - Studies have shown that time-bound exposure to games can actually help kids develop better sight, reflexes as well as analytical skills on May 18, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Mint—Hindustan Times via Getty ImagesMint—Hindustan Times via Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 25, 2016 6:23 PM CUT Kids in the United Kingdom are [spending less time outside than prisoners](http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/25/three-quarters-of-uk-children-spend-less-time-outdoors-than-prison-inmates-survey "undefined"), according to a new study. A survey of 2,000 parents in United Kingdom finds that nearly three quarters of children are spending less than one hour outside every day, the _Guardian_ reports. About 20% are not going outside at all on a regular basis. U.N. [guidelines](https://www.unodc.org/pdf/criminal%5Fjustice/UN%5FStandard%5FMinimum%5FRules%5Ffor%5Fthe%5FTreatment%5Fof%5FPrisoners.pdf "undefined") mandate that prisoners receive “at least one hour of suitable exercise in the open air daily.” “The truth is we are enclosing our children,” Mark Sears, an advocate for “wild play,” told thepaper. “We are stifling their ability to be free, to be at their best as children and it is having significant impacts.” Though the survey was commissioned by the laundry detergent brand Persil as a part of its “Dirt is Good” campaign, it aligns with goals laid out by government officials in the U.K. The environment secretary announced an effort to get every child to visit a national park on Wednesday, according to the _Guardian_. In the U.S., First Lady Michelle Obama has been a fierce advocate for getting children outside for play time as a part of her “Let’s Move” initiative. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4272459/u-k-kids-spend-less-time-outside-than-prison-inmates-study-says/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4272459/u-k-kids-spend-less-time-outside-than-prison-inmates-study-says/"},"headline":"U.K. Kids Spend Less Time Outside Than Prison Inmates, Study Says","datePublished":"2016-03-25T18:23:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T16:13:55.431Z","description":"About 3/4 of kids in the U.K. are spending less than an hour outside on an average day","url":"https://time.com/4272459/u-k-kids-spend-less-time-outside-than-prison-inmates-study-says/","keywords":["Children","Studies","health","uk","United Kingdom"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc767309e9beadb6/69888c99428a9e593acd1f78/515719714.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc767309e9beadb6/69888c99428a9e593acd1f78/515719714.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Kid Using Ipad Under Parental Supervision","caption":"Kid Using Ipad Under Parental Supervision","creditText":"Mint—Hindustan Times via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4272459/u-k-kids-spend-less-time-outside-than-prison-inmates-study-says/","name":"U.K. Kids Spend Less Time Outside Than Prison Inmates, Study Says"}}]}] ```