"Do you know how many kids play outside on their own these days? One study I read said that in a typical week, the number is down to 6%. That's kids ages nine to 13—the sweet spot for goofing around and, incidentally, becoming independent. But instead of exercising their bodies and minds and ability to organize ANYTHING on their own, including a couple hours of free time, most kids are either supervised in leagues or stuck inside, usually with a screen. One reason for this lockdown is that parents today are so scared of predators. … The fact that we are enjoying the lowest crime rate in decades has not gotten through. A Pew Study on gun violence released just the other day said: 'Firearm homicide rates in the late 2000s were equal to those not seen since the early 1960s.' That's right—gun crime is down to the level it was BEFORE COLOR TV. What's higher is the number of times you will see the Cleveland kidnapping victims on TV. Desperate for ratings, the media bombard us with the most searing images it can find. 
And no matter how rare these heart-sickening stories are—the Newtown tragedy, the Marathon bombing—if you see them for weeks and weeks on end every time you look at a screen, it starts feeling as if they're happening all the time. On TV, they are."
—Slate contributor Lenore Skenazy, in her article in support of last Saturday's 4th annual "Take Our Children to the Park … And Leave Them There Day"
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