Special Issue Of 'Children, Youth And Environments' Promotes Child Mobility

"Research demonstrates that children's limited mobility can cause problems. Of course, children themselves suffer from their restricted outdoor activities. It has been widely documented that children benefit from playing outdoors and moving around freely. It facilitates development of their physical, social and cognitive competencies. Recently, children's (lack of) physical exercise has also gotten a great deal of attention; Child obesity is becoming a public health problem.

But not only children suffer when their freedom of movement is restricted. Parents struggle with the daily burden of constantly supervising their children. In an era that in which working parenthood is a matter of course, time is scarce. It is burdensome for parents to have to chauffeur their children from place to place. Often parents simply do not have the time to accompany their children everywhere, and consequently forbid their children to be outdoors on their own. Many parents are convinced of the positive value of playing outside, yet unable to solve their individual problems in a social way, with neighbors and friends. Initiatives that support the sharing of supervisory responsibilities would be a step in the right direction."