A "No ball games" culture means outdoor play is being "squeezed out" of children's lives, according to a major new report.
And there are calls on the government to review the use of these signs in community spaces, saying this would help address a growing national obesity crisis and improve children's happiness levels.
The Raising the Nation Play Commission, in its interim report on why play is critical to the wellbeing of children in England, said the "brazen" use of "No ball games" signs in communal spaces was creating a "culture hostile to young people". And "almost one in three parents" now think "allowing their child to play outside would trigger complaints from neighbours".
As a result, today's children, compared to previous generations, are "spending less time outdoors, less time with their friends and less time playing", said the report.
Last year the London Sport charity called for "No ball games" signs to be taken down, to encourage children to be more active. Noting that half of the five-to-16 age group in the capital are not exercising enough, it called on London mayoral candidates to take steps to "create more spaces for children to be active", said the BBC.
But access to sport and physical activity is "a social justice issue" that "depends on location and financial circumstances", said Shrehan Lynch, a senior lecturer in sport at the University of East London, on The Conversation. "While we can burn all the 'No ball games' signs, the real barrier to combating low activity levels in children is social inequality." | 
