Parents in the West Midlands feel their childhood was safer than their kids
They are putting it partly down to the role social media has today
The majority of parents in the West Midlands have told the NSPCC that they think their childhood was safer than their children's.
The charity have commissioned a YouGov survey of 262 parents and carers in the region.
The survey:
The findings of the survey reveal that 60% of parents in the region think they had a safer, easier and better childhood than their children.
It also shows that 53% of parents in the West Midlands want their children to play more in person.
The barriers identified by parents include: the accessibility of going online, the weather, a lack of friends to play with and the cost-of-living crisis making it difficult to afford clubs.
"We cannot do this alone"
Caroline Morgan's the Supporting Fundraising Manager for the NSPCC in the Midlands. She told us how the impact of social media on children is becoming a growing concern for them:
"The online world changes so quickly so we have to keep up with it. We have to work in partnership with other organisations.
"We cannot do this alone," she said.
"We need robust legislation"
Caroline told us how the NSPCC are tackling the problems that come with social media:
"We are campaigning and working with Ofcom and technology companies. What we need is robust legislation that can deliver safety to our children.
"We have been there for children for 140 years, and want to be there for 140 years more. The world does look different but we are still fighting to make it as safe as possible," she said.
'Childhood day':
Today (June 7th), the NSPCC are holding an event at Cannon Hill Park to give children the chance to play outdoors.
It comes as their stats show 40% of total participants agreed that their children played in person once a day or more, for parents of 12-16 year olds this decreases to just 27%, and 16% for those with 17-18 year olds.
The NSPCC will also be fundraising today, for what they are calling 'childhood day'.