Children kept indoors as parents fear being sued

CHILDREN are being kept indoors and deprived of outdoor activities because parents and school heads are scared of being sued, a conference heard yesterday.

The conference was told while outdoor adventure was a critical part to a child's growth pattern, the fear of risk-taking - instilled by over-protective parents as well as educational bodies and local authorities - had ensured children were not having the same experiences as youngsters 20 years ago.

Up to 80% of eight to 18-year-olds suffer bad posture and about 30 hours a week are spent in front of computer and TV screens, experts told the conference at the Cappanalea Outdoor Education Centre, near Killorglin, Co Kerry.

Teenagers were arriving into outdoor centres never having worn a pair of wellingtons and never having splashed around in a puddle, they said.

Anne Salisbury, an adventure educationalist and a member of the British licensing authority concerned with safety standards in outdoor centres, said outdoor play for children was under threat.

Facilities in playgrounds had been drastically reduced because of fears of insurance claims. Climbing trees and falling off bicycles are no longer part of a child's normal experience because they are being avoided.

She also said there was undue focus on risks of the outdoors, where deaths and accidents were far lower than death by car accidents or suicide.

"We appear to be wrapping our children in cotton wool," Ms Salisbury said in a keynote address.

She said a parent's fear of risk could be dangerous as it might lead to excessive caution.

She said benefits gained from experiences outdoors far outweighed any hazards.

Ms Salisbury said pressures on schools to attain high academic standards meant time devoted to outdoor physical education was being cut back.

Yet research in Britain showed a child's sense of identity and well-being were raised by being involved in outdoor education.

The €3.5 million Cappanalea Outdoor Education Centre, which has been revamped, will be opened today by Minister of State, Department of Education and Science, Ms Síle de Valera.