Play Dismay: Traffic and the Epidemic of Cloistered Children

"More than a quarter of the 1,000 United Kingdom parents polled in a recent survey [commissioned by UK-based Playday] -- 28 percent -- said they feared letting their kids play outside because of 'intolerant attitudes' displayed by their neighbors," reports Goodyear.

"But fear of traffic was parents' top reason for keeping their kids in the house, with 53 percent naming it as an issue," she continues. "'Stranger danger,' or fear of abduction, was another concern. All these things are connected – the prevalence of cars, the distrust of strangers, the intolerance of normal childish behavior. And the Playday survey results gave some insight into the psychological vicious circle that keeps kids indoors in many neighborhoods around the world."