Children in the South West spend the most time in front of screens according to study

The study of 2,000 British parents, by outdoors adventure brand Go Ape found that in the South West, kids spend 134 mins in front of screen devices, such as smart phones, tablets and TVs compared to the national average of 124 mins.

It also found that youngsters in the South West spend 99 mins outside, compared to the national average of 118 mins.

Ben Fogle, writer, broadcaster and father to two children is heading up the Share Adventure campaign with Go Ape, which is aiming to incentivise people to go on more adventures.

Mr Fogle said: “I do worry that today’s generation of children are at risk of losing their sense of adventure. It is clear from the study by Go Ape that many parents need to do more to encourage their children to play outdoors and be more physically active. The prospect of future generations having no interest in flying a kite or climbing trees is a frightening thought. I hope parents act on this and get their children outside this summer.”

Go Ape conducted the research to mark the launch of their new website www.ShareAdventure.co.uk, which is designed to inspire people of all ages to share adventures with one another.

The survey also found that half of parents feel guilty about allowing their children too much screen time and over a quarter of British parents do not place a limit on the amount their children watch TV per day.

And just over half of parents surveyed admitted feeling worried that their children are having less traditional play-time experiences.

The top ten activities which children are missing out on, according to Go Apes' study.

Traditional outdoor activities such as playing conkers, making daisy chains and playing pooh sticks (49%)
Building a den  - 42%
Flying kites  - 41%
Climbing trees -  37%
Fruit picking  - 33%
Skimming stones on a lake - 29%
Planting their own seeds - 26%
Playing in open space and woodland  - 25%
Searching for insects - 25%
Pond dipping/paddling - 23%