Roxanne Sorooshian

PARENTS are in trouble again. The latest black mark is for being overprotective and not allowing the weans out to play. A survey has found that only one in 10 children gets to let off steam in parks and fields and that a generation of youngsters is being deprived of activities such as tree-climbing, den-building and getting mucky.

The poll, by Natural England, of 1150 adults and 502 children between the ages of seven and 11, showed that 40% of adults got to play outside regularly when they were young. That figure has dropped to 24% for modern children. Yet 81% of children said they would like more freedom to play outside. Even when they get to do so, only 20% say they are allowed to spend time without adult supervision.

So, a firm rap on the knuckles for parents, with the experts warning that anxious adults are raising a generation of "cotton-wool kids" who are denied the independence, experience and education that comes from exploring the outdoors. Not that today's children aren't busy. Dance classes, music lessons, art appreciation, the list of activities - all nice, safe, controlled activities - is endless.

Most parents - 85% - said they would like their children to be able to play outdoors unsupervised but feared they would be abducted by strangers or hit by a car. This, of course, is understandable. Our children are growing up in a very different world than that experienced by the previous generation. It is a sad fact that there are more cars on the roads today and that they're bigger, faster and deadlier. It is a sadder fact that, in an increasingly violent society where the value of life is cheapened by the day, parents live in fear of those that prey on children. After all, when bad things happen, we live with a blame culture that always slams the parents - whether they're feeding their kids rubbish, neglecting their literacy skills or, indeed, failing to let them go out to play.

Naturalist Stephen Moss, author of the family outdoor guide The Bumper Book Of Nature, said: "Concerns over safety are understandable but if children can't get out and explore the natural world, we run the risk of raising a generation of cotton-wool kids, whose experiences are defined by websites and computer games."

I confess to being as anxious as the next mother. In my defence, there was a phase when we were practically on first-name terms with the A&E staff at Yorkhill hospital. And I admit that I only agreed to the procurement of a mobile phone for our 12-year-old because it's the closest I could get to electronic tagging.

At the moment, I have a walking bruise for a son. So I appreciate how hard it is as a parent to learn to let go and allow young people the freedom to take their own risks. Last week we had a chin like Desperate Dan's to admire after a close encounter with a swing; a tartan knee after a particularly bad tackle sustained at football; and two skint shins after a call-up to the school rugby team. Very colourful, and nothing too serious, but the fact remains that parents don't like seeing their kids get hurt.

But is that a good reason to swaddle them in bubble-wrap? Sure, accidents and tragedies happen. Often they are unpreventable. That, sadly, is life. Overprotecting children might help limit unfortunate events while they are young, but it makes for individuals ill-prepared for adult life when there's no-one to hold their hands and wipe their noses.

Helene Guldberg, author of Reclaiming Childhood: Freedom And Play In An Age Of Fear, is an expert in the field of child development and will be speaking at a conference at Strathclyde University later this month organised by Learning and Teaching Scotland's Early Years Team. She argues that adults project our "safety based culture" on to children. But she does stick up for parents and puts the issues into perspective, pointing out that children's lives today are a lot better than in previous generations, even if they are losing out on some experiences.

Let's hope this conference generates some much-needed debate on these complex issues, since the knee-jerk reaction of blaming parents is not proving constructive. Our children might not be climbing many trees, but at least they're not up chimneys either.