Mark Hardy
Association of Play Industries
Play Must Stay: The Dangerous Shift From Outdoor Play to Indoor Screen-Time
About Mark Hardy
Association of Play Industries Independent Chair, Mark Hardy’s remit is to lead the association’s strategic direction and act as the focal point for the Association’s activities. Mark holds several Non-Executive Director and Chairman positions in a variety of businesses and has significant specific knowledge of the play industry as a former senior executive at Playpower. Mark has also held Director positions with both the UK’s Federation of Sports and Play Associations (FSPA) and Federation of Play Industries (FEPI). Mark brings a powerful combination of expertise, strategic insight and experience from both the play industry and the wider business world.
Today’s children move less than any generation before. Digital culture has created a strong inducement to stay indoors and at the same time there is a dramatic reduction in public playgrounds.Children are being ‘pulled’ indoors by screens and ‘pushed’ away from outdoor play because of the decline in playgrounds. The Play Must Stay campaign, based on new research with 1100 UK parents, shows this dangerous shift from outdoor play to indoor screen-time.
