New research released by Sport England shows children’s activity levels have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Leading children’s physical activity charity, Youth Sport Trust, has called for a greater commitment to school sport to stave off physical and mental health challenges today and in the future.

The report’s findings show that less than 50% of children are active for the recommended daily amount of 60 minutes a day, while 2.2 million children fall below 30 minutes of daily activity.

Inequality is still a key concern where activity is concerned, with just over 40% of children from low-income families getting their daily recommended levels of activity. Statistics show that children from low-income families are around 2 to 3 times more likely to develop mental health problems than high-income families.

CEO of Youth Sport Trust Alison Oliver MBE added:

“This new report from Sport England shows that physically literate children and young people are happier and more resilient than non-physically literate peers. In addition, there’s a positive association between levels of sport and physical activity and levels of loneliness, with 10% of active children claiming to often or always feel lonely compared to 12% of non-active children.”

To find out more about how activity can improve a child’s mental wellbeing, see here.