Original magazine headline: Fun is credit crunched

Usually parents blame school for making their children unhappy - the pressure to succeed in tests, the constraints of the curriculum - but now they have something new to blame.

The dreaded combination of the credit crunch and school holidays means children are reportedly more bored and naughty this year than ever before.

According to an ICM survey from Play England, a third of parents can no longer afford to entertain their children. A further 72 per cent of parents reported that their children became naughty and 62 per cent claimed their children became angry when they didn’t get a chance to play.

Adrian Voce, director of Play England, called for more free and local venues to reintroduce fun to children who have been affected by the costs of conventional entertainment. “Everyone should support the Government’s commitment to make this the best place in the world to grow up starting with time and space to play,” he said.