‘Nature deficit disorder’ at Hay Festival 2012: Children are deprived of access to the countryside
Children in the United Kingdom are as deprived as Victorian urchins with their lack of access to green spaces – with computer games and television causing ‘Nature deficit disorder‘, coined by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and ‘Children and Nature Network’ founder.
Fiona Reynolds, Director General of the National Trust, said modern children were as deprived as Victorian urchins with their lack of access to green spaces.
She said that while most children have enough to eat, they do not have access to the outdoors environment, blaming computer games and television for contributing to the problem.
“We have moved on materially but whether we have moved on in terms of those unquantifiable benefits from being outdoors is questionable,” she said.
“There is a different kind of deprivation today. It may not be as obvious as having nothing to eat.
“Children are deprived of the experience of being outside, which not only affects physical health but emotional and mental wellbeing.”
Dame Fiona is speaking this weekend at The Telegraph Hay Festivalalongside Simon Jenkins, Chairman of the Trust.
The Trust is celebrating the centenary of the death of Octavia Hill, who set up the National Trust to try and help poor people in 19th Century.
Dame Fiona said the countryside is under threat from development, following a controversial change in planning laws, just as it was after the industrial revolution.
Last year the Trust led a high-profile campaign against proposals to change the planning system, which they said would have left large areas of countryside vulnerable to development.
Dame Fiona said green spaces need to be protected from development while new buildings should factor in access to parks and gardens.
The Trust is trying to improve access to the countryside by encouraging people to take up activities like walking or adventure sports on their own properties and by providing allotments.
There are also programmes to get schools and young people visiting farms and to teach children about the outdoors, including simple things like just skimming a stone or climbing a tree.
Dame Fiona pointed out that a quarter of children have never been to the countryside.
She added: “In theory it is possible to get outdoors but the truth is the actual experience people have of nature is still pretty limited. There is still an urgency to improve access to the countryside.”
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Nature deficit disorder in the spotlight
A National Trust property sign at Gordale (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From The Guardian Environment
Are our children suffering from lack of natural experiences – and to what extent?
This Friday from 1-2pm, The Guardian is interviewing the outgoing director general of the National Trust, Fiona Reynolds, as well as naturalist and broadcaster, Stephen Moss, to discuss whether today’s generation of children are experiencing ‘nature deficit disorder‘.
Moss authored a report for the Trust recently, that said not enough action is being taken to get children playing in green spaces. It was part of the Trust’s ongoing Outdoor Nation campaign, which recently featured a ‘bucket list of 50 things to do before you’re 12′, and has been hosting a series of guest posts on the subject.
National Trust director general Fiona Reynolds on Photograph: Adrian Sherratt for the Guardian
Here’s Malcolm Shepherd, chief executive of cycling charity Sustrans:
Fear of traffic, fear of strangers and major changes to the places we live mean children are often cooped up indoors or are only allowed to play outside after being driven for miles
And Rob Cowen, ‘outdoor enthusiast‘ and author:
Children aren’t fools; they recognise hypocrisy everywhere. It is no good espousing the benefits of outdoor play if we grown-ups don’t share the same sense of connection with wild space. We must remember that the establishing nature in childhood will only happen if we recognise its importance and take the time to let it grow just as strongly in our own lives.
Naturalist and author Stephen Moss
But is access to natural habitats and wildlife really worse for today’s children than previous generations? Does technology help kids connect with nature – through digital photography, or apps for identifying species – or alienate them from it? And if ‘nature deficit disorder’ is a real problem, what are the solutions?
Related articles
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- How to reconnect children with nature (guardian.co.uk)
- The increasingly rare sight in UK’s green spaces – children playing (guardian.co.uk)
- Some do’s and don’ts for using a medical metaphor, hints from Frightened Rabbit (thefinchandpea.com)
- Health and safety fears denying children of ‘sheer joy of nature’, says National Trust chief (dailymail.co.uk)
- Are modern British children suffering from ‘nature deficit disorder’? | Colin Tudge and Aleks Krotoski (guardian.co.uk)
- Childrens ” Nature deficit disorder” (sherstonwildlife.wordpress.com)
- Children and Nature : ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ in Pakistan (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)
- Freedom from our doorsteps (outdoornation.org.uk)
- Nature deficit disorder? (thisfragiletent.wordpress.com)
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