Britain is raising 'a generation of couch potatoes'
Britain's children are likely to become a generation of couch potatoes who cannot swim, run or cycle, according to a survey out today.
The study of 1,500 children aged between six and 15 revealed that 15 per cent could not swim, one in 10 had not learnt to ride a bike and one in four had never run a distance of 400 metres.
Around half the children surfed the internet, chatted on social networking sites and played video games. A third said they did not even own a bike, while two-thirds had a mobile phone and three out of four had a games console.
The pressure group Parents Outloud criticised schools for not devoting more time to physical exercise.
The survey was carried out the steel firm Tata Steel, which is staging a series of mini-triathlons this summer.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies