Is a Decline in Independent Play the Major Cause of Decline in Children’s Mental Health?

A lot of evidence points in the direction of lack of autonomy and independence in children leads to an increase in mental health issues

Well now, that is a big statement to make!

Yes, it is but it’s only my rewording of just such a dramatic statement by a group of researchers in February of this year — I seemed to have missed this at the time.

So, if I get this right, the researchers are claiming that decline in independent play is the primary, the key, factor in a decline in mental health: not other factors such as school stress, economic challenges, covid, etc?

Yes, but for the record they did say a cause. I’ve used artistic licence and substituted the major. However, their conclusions are dramatic and they clearly see this is equivalent to a very dangerous and insidious pandemic that is causing multiple issues in society.

This is backed up, as academics do, of course, by reviewing the literature and the evidence is pretty compelling. Based on what I know of brain development and also the positive impacts of play, it makes sense.