Where did childhood in Britain go wrong?

Well, it's a start. David Cameron has noticed that health and safety regulations stop schools taking children out on field trips, outdoor activities or just collecting autumn leaves at the park. And the Department for Children, Schools and Families is to issue guidelines about extra-curricular activities, aiming to get pupils back into the real world.
I suppose school-organised, adult-supervised activities are better than nothing. But they're really not good enough. Indeed, excessive health and safety measures at school are just the tip of the risk-aversion iceberg leaving increasing numbers of young people without the emotional resilience, social competence and personal confidence to thrive in our society.
A couple of years ago, the Institute for Public Policy Research found that British youngsters were at or near the top of the European charts for almost every type of teenage misconduct and malaise. Not just knife-crime and antisocial behaviour in inner cities, but underage drinking, sexual activity and drug abuse across the social spectrum.
Something is mightily wrong with childhood in Britain, and after 30 years working with children and teachers (the last eight years of which were spent researching "toxic childhood"), I reckon our risk aversion - not just in schools but in every area of life - is a major part of the problem.
Think back to your childhood. What and where did you play when you were six, seven, eight? Most adults remember building and making (dens, mud pies, forts, go-karts), make-believe and role play.

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