It's So Nice Out -- Stay Inside!

Hundreds of thousands of people are weighing in on the factors keeping kids — and especially teens — on social media instead of meeting up in real life.

The tweet that ignited this particular conversation said that when older people ask: "Why don't kids go outside anymore?" the answer could be, ironically, because of the outside those older people built.

And it shows a photo of a four-lane highway lined with business and chockablock with traffic. In the middle, you can make out what looks to be a teen on a bike.

I'm not sure if he ever made it across.

City planning does explain a lot about how a town does or doesn't work for people without cars, including kids. Towns with no sidewalks, housing projects with desolate courtyards, new developments bifurcated by giant access roads and even leafy green suburbs where there are no shops within walking distance of the homes all play a part in keeping kids indoors or in cars.

So does technology. Getting around a neighborhood matters a lot less now that there's another place to gather, and it doesn't involve leaving the house. This magical turn of events has made venturing to the mall or the park less necessary for hanging out — even though kids would generally STILL prefer to meet up in person.

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As a gal trying to give kids back some freedom to play and roam, here are the factors keeping kids inside that I focus on:

— A perception of crime that is not always in synch with reality. For decades, the majority of Americans surveyed have said that crime is going up when, in fact, violent crime in America declined 49% between 1993 and 2020.

— The fear of kidnapping (which apparently tops parents' list of worries).

— The worry that a passerby seeing kids on their own could call 911.

— The ever-higher age that kids are presumed old enough to do anything on their own. (A British study found parents who were allowed to play outside on their own at 9 now don't let their own kids out until age 11.)

— The belief that organized activities are more valuable than goof around, footloose time in childhood — a conviction shared by parents across the economic spectrum.

— The fact that when lots of kids are in those organized activities, other kids look out the window and don't see anyone to play with, so they stay inside — or sign up for organized activities, too.

And then there's extra homework, extra cars, maybe even fear of excess sun. (I'm seeing kids in long sleeves on boiling hot days, presumably to keep them safe from the sun's rays).

This is such a huge shift in childhood. I think of it like the rain forest: For a long time, no one noticed it was disappearing until it was almost too late.

The same thing has happened with children playing outside, unsupervised, making their own fun. That pastime has been disappearing right under our noses for one or two generations.

It's the time when kids are creative, resourceful, active and every synapse is snapping. Their brains are expanding along with their lungs and their horizons. Don't let outdoor free time disappear, no matter how many forces are aligned against it.

Save the brain forest!