Kids don't play outside so we need to pass a law?

[Melensdad]

Well I guess this was bound to happen.

A bill has been introduced in congress to get kids to play outside. More specifically it sets up a 5 year period for study and to create recommendations so the government can tell us how to get kids to play outside, and then encourage states to encourage parents to send their kids outside into the woods, national forests, and state parks to play.

Yeah, so that is going to work out well for the inner city kids who live hours away from real wooded land but have parents (or just a single parent) that relies on public transport.

Lets be honest here, kids are glued to their mobile devices and X-Boxes because parents buy those things for their kids and allow their kids to play with them all day. If parents would pack up the kids into the Vista-Cruiser and drive to the state park then the kids would have little choice but to hike, picnic, fish or pick wildflowers.

http://wilderness.org/blog/new-bill-will-develop-strategies-reconnect-kids-nature

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) introduced Senate and House versions of the Healthy Kids Outdoors Act, which would provide incentives for states to combat the trend of kids and families spending less time outside.

“Now, more than ever, it is important to develop new strategies for getting children outdoors reconnecting to nature,” said Paul Sanford, national director of recreation policy for The Wilderness Society, in an Outdoors Alliance for Kids coalition statement. “Kids need stimulating alternatives to smart phones and computers, alternatives that are educational and promote physical activity. The Healthy Kids Outdoors Act will encourage states to provide opportunities for recreation and education in the great outdoors. We thank Senator Heinrich and Congressman Kind for championing this important legislation.”

The legislation would spur states to form five-year strategies that encourage kids and families to be active in the outdoors through unstructured play and outdoor recreation like camping, hiking, hunting and fishing.

Make no mistake: we do need a plan. Recent research has found that kids spend much more time staring at screens than they used to—an average of six and a half hours per day, according to one report—and it negatively affects everything from their weight to their academic performance to their ability to recognize emotions.

As they settle in front of the television or computer, kids are shying away from nature, too. In a Nature Conservancy poll, only 10 percent of kids said they spend time outdoors every day. Part of the problem is that some parents are not taking their kids out to play.

The benefits of time outside may be obvious to dyed-in-the-wool wilderness lovers, but they are worth talking about for the sake of those still working on getting their kids to drop the smartphone for a little while:

Benefits of getting kids outdoors

Physical health. Childhood obesity has been on the rise for years, and it’s clear that reversing that trend won’t be easy. But physical exercise, especially in the form of unstructured outdoor play, can be a big part of the strategy. Other issues that may be partly remedied by more time outside include vitamin D deficiencies and nearsightedness. In recent years, pediatricians have even been urged to formally recommend outdoor activities for children—and in some areas, doctors are already prescribing time in public parks.

Emotional and mental health. Research suggests that a connection to nature can improve happiness. What’s more, unstructured activity in the outdoors may improve kids’ psychological wellbeing, build independence, strengthen imagination and cognitive ability, and boost school performance. Nowadays, kids’ lives seem ever more densely-packed with appointments and obligations, so nature’s ability to reduce stress and anxiety is especially important.

Connection to nature. Introducing a child to the wonders of nature can help foster a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors and the need to protect wildlands. Conversely, a child whose connection to nature is tentative or restricted will be less likely to stand up for conservation later on. It’s hard to appreciate the value of wilderness if you haven’t experienced it, and at a time when nature terms are literally being omitted from children’s dictionaries to make way for tech terms, it is vital that we establish these connections early on.

 

[mla2ofus]

I feel for inner city kids 'cause they have few places to play outside and in certain parts it can turn into a gang war zone real quick.
Mike

 

[JEV]

I feel for inner city kids 'cause they have few places to play outside and in certain parts it can turn into a gang war zone real quick.
Mike

The problem is child-centered homes, vs parent centered homes. The kids drive the agenda, and the parents knuckle under to them so they don't have to listen to the whining. If the kids don't get their way, they bring in family social services and claim abuse by the parents. And you wonder why people choose to not have kids?

The legislation is just another government intrusion into lives of tax-paying citizens, and has nothing to do with the percieved problem. If passed, state & local governments would be forced to develop these useless problems, under the threat of withholding federal funding for other projects (unfunded mandates & legalized extortion). Follow the money, boys & girls, because someone outside of government will benefit from this legislation. Probably people who write government mandated programs, & who make large donations to campaigns of these sponsors.

As for the inner city youth, Jesse, Al & the other race-baiters have it all covered for them, and will find a way to extort money from tax paying wagon pullers like us, so they can tear down buildings and put up parks where gang bangers & druggies can congregate and tear up the equipment. No family will want to put their children in an environment like that (and it's all whitey's fault, the economy, racism, etc) Same shit, different day in our nation's center of corruption, Washington DC.

 

[MrLiberty]

Well, I feel so much better now that all the big stuff was taken care of by congress so they can work on this crap.