Myth of young couch potatoes

13th August 2004, 1:00am
The impression that modern children are couch potatoes who need to be driven everywhere is unfounded, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Lancaster university found that those born between 1932 and 1941 walked more than today’s young people: around 88 per cent of their trips were on foot compared to 64 per cent now. But the difference between the generations was much smaller than expected given the growth in car ownership.