Dutch kids play outside less and less

Over the past five years the proportion of Dutch children who play outside every day decreased from 20 percent to 14 percent, according to research by Jantje Beton, RTL Nieuws reports.

A third of the kids said they'd like to play outside more often, but can't because of "the dullness of play areas", or hobbies and school keeping them too busy. Many kids would also rather watch TV or play games than go play outside. Children who prefer to go outside, mainly do so for cycling and climbing.

Compared with the outdoor playing behavior of their parents and grandparents, the differences with the current generation of kids are enormous. 69 percent of grandparents played outside more than inside, and 65 percent of parents. Currently only 10 percent of kids play outside more than they play inside.

Jantje Beton is an organization dedicated to providing kids with more challenging play areas and more time for playing.