Over 60% of parents and carers of children in Scotland aged 18 and under polled think they had safer childhoods compared to their own children, while 52% felt theirs was easier and 51% believed they had better experiences.
The majority of parents and carers of children in Scotland aged 18 and under believe their own childhood was safer (61%), easier (52%) and full of better experiences (51%) than their own children’s.
A YouGov survey of 4,017 parents and carers – including 339 in Scotland – commissioned by the NSPCC to analyse children’s playing habits also found that 54% of participants want their children to play more in person.
Nearly a third of parents in Scotland (31%) believe the biggest barrier to their child playing more in person is concerns over their safety. Other barriers identified include:
Overall, findings across the UK showed that 38% of parents believe their child plays online every day or multiple times a day. Once children reach their teens, this increases, with 53% of parents of 12–16-year-olds saying their children within that age group play online at least once a day.
In person play also decreases as a child ages. While 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.