Half of the 310 parents surveyed by Play England said there were not enough safe play spaces, rising to 67 per cent among low-income families.
The survey also found that 37 per cent of more than 1,000 seven- to 14-year-olds said they would rather play with friends than go to out-of-school clubs, lessons or organised activities.
Focus groups found that while children enjoyed clubs, some felt they were attending too many and around half said they had little choice as to which clubs they attended.
More than half (55 per cent) of children surveyed said they sometimes rush their lunch in order to play. One child in a focus group said: "We used to have 1 hour 20 minutes for lunch. Now lunch is only 45 minutes, break is 10 minutes."
Adrian Voce, director of Play England, said: "Children and adults alike are telling us that the pressures of modern life are restricting time for children to play and that this makes them unhappy."
Play England commissioned the survey and focus groups to promote its annual Playday, which this year takes place on 5 August with the theme Make Time.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here