Beverley Hughes, Kid's Tsar
Here we go again: Beverley Hughes, the government’s children's minister(‘kids tsar’)± has said that obesity is on the rise among children because they are not playing outside. Okay.
Nope, the reason that kids are fat is that they all lead virtual existences playing computer games and talking with friends on social networking websites.
Hughes was speaking at the launch of a report on children's facilities produced by left-wing think tank Demos at the Young Vic theatre in London. She claims the problems are down to over-protective parents, risks from increased traffic and inadequate play areas.
The Demos study was commissioned by Play England (an organisation which promotes play) and claims that many of the UK’s parks and public areas are ‘actively anti-social to children".
The Kid’s Tsar called for local authorities and parents to do more to encourage outdoor play claiming that:
"Intensely realistic computer games and social networking sites like MySpace are examples of how technology can be a pull factor for children and young people, encouraging them to stay indoors, not just when the weather is bad but pretty much all of the time."
Here's an idea - stop embarking on illegal wars which waste millions of pounds a month in order to monopolise a rapidly disappearing natural resource... and build some well lit, well resourced play areas? Mmm? Well? Maybe an idea? Eh, UK government? Maybe some decent school-based healthy activities like those that the old SPOnGers were forced to do (running with spears; hog-baiting; cross-country hula-hooping; rugby sevens with piercing), rather than investing in courses on "Dolphin husbandry, tourism and colon studies"?
Nah, sod it, blame video games or FaceBook, or the television or the evil of that devil's rock music!
That'll get votes.
Pedant's Corner: Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families
Nope, the reason that kids are fat is that they all lead virtual existences playing computer games and talking with friends on social networking websites.
Hughes was speaking at the launch of a report on children's facilities produced by left-wing think tank Demos at the Young Vic theatre in London. She claims the problems are down to over-protective parents, risks from increased traffic and inadequate play areas.
The Demos study was commissioned by Play England (an organisation which promotes play) and claims that many of the UK’s parks and public areas are ‘actively anti-social to children".
The Kid’s Tsar called for local authorities and parents to do more to encourage outdoor play claiming that:
"Intensely realistic computer games and social networking sites like MySpace are examples of how technology can be a pull factor for children and young people, encouraging them to stay indoors, not just when the weather is bad but pretty much all of the time."
Here's an idea - stop embarking on illegal wars which waste millions of pounds a month in order to monopolise a rapidly disappearing natural resource... and build some well lit, well resourced play areas? Mmm? Well? Maybe an idea? Eh, UK government? Maybe some decent school-based healthy activities like those that the old SPOnGers were forced to do (running with spears; hog-baiting; cross-country hula-hooping; rugby sevens with piercing), rather than investing in courses on "Dolphin husbandry, tourism and colon studies"?
Nah, sod it, blame video games or FaceBook, or the television or the evil of that devil's rock music!
That'll get votes.
Pedant's Corner: Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families
Comments
SuperSaiyan4 15 Nov 2007 14:13
1/7
Well said!
First it was blame McDonalds and the big macs! Now blame *drum roll* VIDEO GAME! ooh ooh and facebook!
Maybe Jack Thompson and this female are one in the same? Cos frankly they are both CNUTS.
First it was blame McDonalds and the big macs! Now blame *drum roll* VIDEO GAME! ooh ooh and facebook!
Maybe Jack Thompson and this female are one in the same? Cos frankly they are both CNUTS.
Earl 15 Nov 2007 18:18
2/7
I couldnt agree more wih spong on this one.
"Here's an idea - stop embarking on illegal wars which waste millions of pounds a month in order to monopolise a rapidly disappearing natural resource... and build some well lit, well resourced play areas? Mmm? Well? Maybe an idea? Eh, UK government? Maybe some decent school-based healthy activities like those that the old SPOnGers were forced to do (running with spears; hog-baiting; cross-country hula-hooping; rugby sevens with piercing), rather than investing in courses on "Dolphin husbandry, tourism and colon studies"?"
"Here's an idea - stop embarking on illegal wars which waste millions of pounds a month in order to monopolise a rapidly disappearing natural resource... and build some well lit, well resourced play areas? Mmm? Well? Maybe an idea? Eh, UK government? Maybe some decent school-based healthy activities like those that the old SPOnGers were forced to do (running with spears; hog-baiting; cross-country hula-hooping; rugby sevens with piercing), rather than investing in courses on "Dolphin husbandry, tourism and colon studies"?"
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zoydwheeler 15 Nov 2007 22:15
3/7
Earl wrote:
running with spears; hog-baiting; cross-country hula-hooping; rugby sevens with piercing...
I think you can do all of those in some Wario mini-games - while you can kick back on the sofa enjoying a lovely curry or a Big Mac and Fries Xtra Large (...to go please. With coke please. No, not diet, normal please...)
Joji 15 Nov 2007 22:45
4/7
More signs of the last of the babyboomers being out of touch with a totally different generation.
What adults and what kids want are always gonna clash, same as it ever was. Truth is the gulf between them has never been bigger.
You want kids to play more outside, stop building over playing fields and whatever british green belt is left, get tough on immigration and lock down our boarders, and make sure paedos and rapists stay behind bars.
What adults and what kids want are always gonna clash, same as it ever was. Truth is the gulf between them has never been bigger.
You want kids to play more outside, stop building over playing fields and whatever british green belt is left, get tough on immigration and lock down our boarders, and make sure paedos and rapists stay behind bars.
ed 15 Nov 2007 22:48
5/7
lord what a bore ive heard it all before and no games dont make people fat eating junk food makes people fat sombody needs to stuff a sock in this bints gob before she does any more damage
DoctorDee 16 Nov 2007 10:45
6/7
Whoa, hold on. You are all demonising this woman for what? For being concerned about the state of our children's health. WTF is wrong with that?
Eating junk food DOES make you fat, and sitting on your arse all day (whether playing video games or not) DOES make you fat.
She doesn't attack video games at all she just points out (accurately) that they encourage kids to stay inside and remain sedentary. This is true. What she actually said is:
"...computer games and social networking sites like MySpace are examples of how technology can be a pull factor for children and young people, encouraging them to stay indoors, not just when the weather is bad but pretty much all of the time."
Eating junk food DOES make you fat, and sitting on your arse all day (whether playing video games or not) DOES make you fat.
She doesn't attack video games at all she just points out (accurately) that they encourage kids to stay inside and remain sedentary. This is true. What she actually said is:
"...computer games and social networking sites like MySpace are examples of how technology can be a pull factor for children and young people, encouraging them to stay indoors, not just when the weather is bad but pretty much all of the time."
ajmetz 18 Nov 2007 19:23
7/7
DoctorDee wrote:
Whoa, hold on. You are all demonising this woman for what? For being concerned about the state of our children's health. WTF is wrong with that?
Eating junk food DOES make you fat, and sitting on your arse all day (whether playing video games or not) DOES make you fat.
She doesn't attack video games at all she just points out (accurately) that they encourage kids to stay inside and remain sedentary. This is true. What she actually said is:
"...computer games and social networking sites like MySpace are examples of how technology can be a pull factor for children and young people, encouraging them to stay indoors, not just when the weather is bad but pretty much all of the time."
Eating junk food DOES make you fat, and sitting on your arse all day (whether playing video games or not) DOES make you fat.
She doesn't attack video games at all she just points out (accurately) that they encourage kids to stay inside and remain sedentary. This is true. What she actually said is:
"...computer games and social networking sites like MySpace are examples of how technology can be a pull factor for children and young people, encouraging them to stay indoors, not just when the weather is bad but pretty much all of the time."
Total...the "don't bash games" thing was quite obviously a SPONG spin on the news story. She doesn't appear to be bashing games in the same way as Jack Thompson, etc.
Personally, I am shocked to find that the Tube Park, as we all called it when young has had the tube slide taken out! The park is still atop a lovely green ridge good for walking dogs, but with the slide and roundabout and whatever else taken out, it's a sorry state of a playpark. Whereas it used to be a cult hang-out for kids and teens alike. Sure, occaisionally the odd yobbo would put poo down the tube slide, and it would be boarded up until someone from the council cleaned it out, but it was THE meeting place for all kids in the area.
Still....there's still a bit of woodland, so plenty of trees and bushes for making "dens", etc!
Having said that, now in my mid 20s, I'm out of touch myself with what the kids of today are doing for leisure. But I'm pretty sure we had videogames in the 80s and 90s too. I'm actually quite grateful, as if it wasn't for computers and videogames, I'd probably have become a book worm, and spent all my life in a library.^_^ Some people are just born geek. ;-)
[Update: Or actually, more like be indoors playing with Lego and Transformers. ^_^]
Then again, maybe if I was a kid today, I'd have got into Le Parkour / Free Running.
That sport would have been far more up my street than football or rugby. I did used to enjoy running down hills in the lake district really fast, dodging obstacles. Of course, too much screen time means I now need glasses, and as such am now crap at judging distances, which results in a lack of confidence in making jumps.
My point is, there is a wider choice of sports nowerdays.
On another note, I wish I had been able to make it down to my town's Imaging Festival yesterday. Apparently they had a game called Pac-Bike, which involved playing Pac Man whilst riding an exercise bike. =P
Er, but I slept in and missed it.
Still, ironically, I'm a skinny c**t. Anyone know of a good website, for XS clothes? Topman got me hooked, but I need a coat to go with my new shirts. =P