Exclusive: Police and charities warn of rise in harmful sexual behaviour among young people

Harriet Grant visits Bristol to meet the families fighting for the right for space to play in the streets outside their homes

It’s said that youngsters are addicted to tech – but their childhoods are also being shaped by the loss of child-friendly areas, says freelance reporter Harriet Grant

Latest attempt to dismantle primary ‘school street’ in Tower Hamlets disrupted amid pollution concerns

Tamsyn Warde explores spaces in which children play in Hampshire, UK, examining how and where they play and where play belongs in their lives

By the age of 15, just 11 per cent of girls and 16 per cent of boys in England did the recommended 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity

Peabody yet to restore park after finishing construction work in 2020, leaving children with no green space

Shorter playtimes and shrinking outside space in England have serious implications for children’s wellbeing and mental health

Plans for the £1.9bn Smithfield scheme include a park that is smaller than a football pitch, falling short of the council’s own guidelines

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee has today launched an inquiry looking at how better planning and building and urban design in England could enhance the health and well-be...

Experts say boarded-up communal space illustrates crisis in social housing funding and need to protect play areas

Campaigners launch proposal for schools to have ‘plan for play’ that would be subject to Ofsted inspection

Decade of austerity blamed for impending closure of inner-city spaces that provide meals and outdoor activities

Charities call on government to prioritise outside spaces for play as MPs begin inquiry into planning and children’s wellbeing

Brighton primary has worked with organisation to provide better quality time outside

Editorial: Children are naturally playful, as the artist Francis Alÿs reminds us. But they still need support and encouragement

Steep cuts left three-quarters of 16- to 19-year-olds unable to get support, youth agency says

Education secretary Gillian Keegan to announce guidelines for phased discussion of topics depending on pupils’ age

Campaigners say that lockdown contributed to an already poor situation for children’s play. We want to hear your experiences

Councils are pushed to allow ‘infill’ building on land they own – but residents resist the loss of play space and open areas

Research finds breakdown in parents’ social contract with schools since Covid lockdowns and cost of living crisis

Devon park's new design could be followed by others as councils conform to regulation to protect against legal action

Campaigners have urged the council to rethink plans to close libraries across the city as it looks to balance the books

Nearly nine out of 10 report marked rise in pupils missing school due to mental health issues since Covid pandemic

Letters: Readers respond to an editorial about the loss of council-run youth services as Tory cuts have bitten into budgets

As pornography use soars, some men feel their behaviour is moving from a compulsion to an addiction. They describe how this affects their health, happiness and relationships

Exclusive: Medics say children with poor access to outdoor play at school at higher risk of developing lifelong health problems

Guardian investigation finds pupils at England’s wealthiest schools have much greater access to land, with implications for mental health

A mother describes how her autistic son became one of thousands of under-18s caught viewing or sharing indecent images of children

Trustees from six sites in Leicester have written a letter to the city mayor, asking him to intervene.

British Summer Time has arrived and the chat of alfresco diners and chimes of ice cream vans will soon fill the air. Yet the shrieks of excited children at play

Exclusive: NHS data showing 600 emergency referrals a week should be a ‘wake-up call’ for the government, MPs and health leaders say

Campaigners criticise Lutfur Rahman as he consults for second time on London borough’s LTNs

Fewer and fewer children have the chance to play outside – and those that do have to contend with whingeing adults. Bring back the days of carefree loitering

Science on specific benefits for children’s behaviour and thinking is catching up with established wellbeing claims

Ros and Mark Dowey, whose son Murray took his life after being duped by criminals online, are calling for greater awareness and social media regulation