Schoolchildren 'more likely to have a phone than know how to throw a ball', shock report reveals

Schoolchildren across England are more likely to have a phone than know how to throw a ball, a shocking new report has revealed.

Fewer than half of English 10-year-olds demonstrate a basic level of competence when throwing a ball, the latest report from the think tank Centre for Social Justice showed.

Meanwhile, some 70 per cent of the youngsters own a smartphone.

On the whole, half of primary school children manage to meet basic activity levels, with the remainder falling behind what is required for a healthy life.

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The report, Inactive Nation, issued a stark warning to Britain's parents and school staff with outdoor play, socialisation and activity replaced by screentime dominating children's waking lives.

By the age of 10, students are spending three hours a day on their device, which is the equivalent of spending a month a year online.

As a result, Britain is witnessing the surge of a generation of "iPad kids" as screen-loving youngsters ditch schoolyard games for screens.

One teacher speaking with a charity that works with the CSJ said: "I’ve got two children [in my class] who physically cannot sit on the carpet. They don’t have core strength.

"And when I went to visit one of the girls in July, she’d never been to a nursery, she’d been sat in a corner sofa on an iPad so she hasn’t developed her core strength and it’s really affecting her whole development."

A former education minister whose amendment to ban social for under-16s pressured Labour to impose new restrictions said the latest data was a "wake-up call".

Some 2.1 million primary school-age children across the nation are insufficiently active, averaging fewer than 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

But swapping out just a quarter of an hour of scrolling on the phone in exchange for outdoor activity could boost 300,000 more pupils into the necessary activity level.

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The CSJ has reported that the fallout can already be seen - with children now twice more likely to be obese as those in the lesser-deprived areas.

Lord Nash said: "We are raising a generation of children who can swipe before they can throw, scroll before they can run, and who are paying the price in their physical and mental health.

"The Government's commitment this week to age restrictions on harmful social media for under-16s was a vital step, but it is only one part of the picture.

"Children need to be off their phones and outside - playing, moving, building the strength and resilience that an active childhood provides."

The serious lack of activity is fuelling an expanding mental health crisis across Britain, with recent data pointing to one in six children between the ages of eight and 10 to have a mental health disorder.

Six years ago, this figure was just one in 10.

Calling on MPs to take action, Ben Miller, Senior Analyst at the CSJ, said: "Our education system has not kept pace with a world where screens are taking over everyday life.

"Politicians must empower teachers to reduce sedentary behaviour and create an active culture within schools.

"Combined with improving access to outdoor play outside of school hours, we can finally provide children the opportunities they deserve."

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