Just 8% of Italian school children return home on their own
Compares to 25% of British, 76% of German children, study finds
13 March, 18:05
(ANSA) - Rome, March 13 - Only 8% of Italian school children
return home on their own, compared to 76% and 25% of their
German and British counterparts, respectively, Italy's national
research council (CNR) revealed on Wednesday.Italian children's already limited freedom of movement continued to shrink in recent years, dealing a significant blow to their psycho-physical development, concluded CNR in a study promoted by London's Policy Studies Institute with the collaboration of Germany and 15 other countries. "Children's freedom of movement has gone from 11% in 2002 to 7% in 2010," said Antonella Prisco, a researcher at CNR's Institute of Cognition Science and Technology (ISTC-CNR).
Meanwhile, young children's use of public transport is low in all three countries: 3% for Italy, 3% for Britain and 8% for Germany.
However, by secondary school the percentage of children taking public transport leaps to 25% in Britain and 64% in Germany, whereas in Italy it remains 3%.
Italian boys are more autonomous than Italian girls, researchers found.
"The possibility for children to move autonomously permits a fundamental play experience, helps prevent obesity and excess weight, helps them acquire confidence, self-esteem and the capacity to interact, reinforces ties with people who live in their own neighborhood, develops a sense of identity and responsibility, and reduces the sense of loneliness during adolescence," Prisco said.
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