Not enough time and safe places for children to play

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.