Planet Child

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Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Planet Child

Post by Daogroupie »

Facts about children in the outside world today from Planet Child:

33 % of under 5 year olds own their own tablet.

75% of under 5 year olds spend less time outside than prison inmates.

The average distance primary school students walk from their own homes has shrunk by over 90% in the past ten years.

I know many ten year olds who have never been on a bus or a train. They all go by coach or car to school and elsewhere.

Eldest children are 30% more likely to secure senior management jobs than their younger siblings.

Very interesting watching, on every Wednesday. DG
kenyancowgirl
Posts: 6738
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Re: Planet Child

Post by kenyancowgirl »

Daogroupie wrote:Facts about children in the outside world today from Planet Child:

I know many ten year olds who have never been on a bus or a train. They all go by coach or car to school and elsewhere.

Very interesting watching, on every Wednesday. DG
Impressed that the producers of Planet Child contacted you for a quote, DG - what qualifies you to be asked?
salsa
Posts: 2686
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:59 am

Re: Planet Child

Post by salsa »

Daogroupie wrote:Facts about children in the outside world today from Planet Child:

33 % of under 5 year olds own their own tablet.

75% of under 5 year olds spend less time outside than prison inmates.

The average distance primary school students walk from their own homes has shrunk by over 90% in the past ten years.

I know many ten year olds who have never been on a bus or a train. They all go by coach or car to school and elsewhere.

Eldest children are 30% more likely to secure senior management jobs than their younger siblings.

Very interesting watching, on every Wednesday. DG
Interesting program. I recorded it and watched it with my sons. My eldest was jumping when they said about eldest children being more likely to be in senior management. My youngest not so happy. :lol:

I know that life is different in Japan, but I couldn't send my 6 year old to school in the way that Michi went! I guess you get used to anything, but I would be terrified my son got abducted.

Salsa
Surferfish
Posts: 682
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:06 pm

Re: Planet Child

Post by Surferfish »

Daogroupie wrote:Facts about children in the outside world today from Planet Child:

33 % of under 5 year olds own their own tablet.

75% of under 5 year olds spend less time outside than prison inmates.

The average distance primary school students walk from their own homes has shrunk by over 90% in the past ten years.

I know many ten year olds who have never been on a bus or a train. They all go by coach or car to school and elsewhere.

Eldest children are 30% more likely to secure senior management jobs than their younger siblings.

Very interesting watching, on every Wednesday. DG
Just wondering, do these facts relate specifically to the UK, or children all over the world? 'Planet' Child implies the latter, although I find it quite hard to believe that 33% of all under fives on the planet own a tablet?
ToadMum
Posts: 11946
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Planet Child

Post by ToadMum »

salsa wrote:
Daogroupie wrote:Facts about children in the outside world today from Planet Child:

33 % of under 5 year olds own their own tablet.

75% of under 5 year olds spend less time outside than prison inmates.

The average distance primary school students walk from their own homes has shrunk by over 90% in the past ten years.

I know many ten year olds who have never been on a bus or a train. They all go by coach or car to school and elsewhere.

Eldest children are 30% more likely to secure senior management jobs than their younger siblings.

Very interesting watching, on every Wednesday. DG
Interesting program. I recorded it and watched it with my sons. My eldest was jumping when they said about eldest children being more likely to be in senior management. My youngest not so happy. :lol:

I know that life is different in Japan, but I couldn't send my 6 year old to school in the way that Michi went! I guess you get used to anything, but I would be terrified my son got abducted.

Salsa
I would worry far more about any of ours getting on the wrong train and ending up somewhere completely different from their intended destination (and DS1 once sent me a message to say that he had fallen asleep on the bus and was just waiting for one back again from four miles past our stop :roll: ). But then we always did say that anyone who decided to go off with one of them would soon bring them back again...
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Planet Child

Post by Tinkers »

DH and his sister used to come back from primary school, by themselves, on the bus everyday in West London. I was walking 20 mins to middle school at the age of 9 by myself because my mother couldn’t take me to one school and sister to another.

I know teenagers who don’t know how to catch the bus/train. My DD isn’t one of them, thankfully. It’s how she gets around to see her friends, whether they are the other side of town or the other side of the next town. She likes the independence.
salsa
Posts: 2686
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:59 am

Re: Planet Child

Post by salsa »

Mine have taken the wrong train or gone in the wrong direction. Not fallen asleep, but have been reading a book or playing a game on their mobiles and missed the stop, etc.

I know that children used to be more independent years ago, but there was less traffic.

I know that the crime rate in Japan is very low and that they must have a different mindset.

Salsa
Blitz
Posts: 874
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:58 pm

Re: Planet Child

Post by Blitz »

I was speaking to some parents about this programme. They were not so worried about traffic, but it was other children that were their biggest concern.

I was taken aback by their comments, but they felt older children and teenagers were the greatest danger to their child's safety.

What a sad society we are becoming.
Middlesexmum
Posts: 1008
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:54 am

Re: Planet Child

Post by Middlesexmum »

Great programme.

I was so impressed with the 3 groups of children travelling alone to the London Eye. Two of the groups had a 7 year old who took charge, but the cousins from the farm were only FIVE years old! And they managed the journey.

I'm quite relaxed about children using public transport and being out and about by themselves and think it should be encouraged but it very much depends on the nature of the child. My middle dd has always had excellent orientation and confident being out by herself from around age 9. Oldest dd was very different, less confident and she needed more help from me. When dd2 was nearing the end of Year 6, there was a time she had to make a short journey home from school by bus as I had moved dd3's school and couldn't pick them both up. Dd2 was happy doing this but I couldn't believe the number of comments I got from other parents when they saw dd2 alone at the bus stop. They were impressed mostly but that puzzled me. An 11 year old SHOULD be able to make a simple bus journey, it shouldn't be something out of the ordinary.

It always amazes me that parents are reluctant to allow their children a bit of freedom and independence but they're quite happy for them to use smart devices and social media from a young age.
Middlesexmum
Posts: 1008
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:54 am

Re: Planet Child

Post by Middlesexmum »

ToadMum wrote:
I would worry far more about any of ours getting on the wrong train and ending up somewhere completely different from their intended destination
So what if they do? They work out how to get back. Children need to learn how to deal with problems if things go a bit wrong.
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