Charity warns of looming health crisis facing children

The Youth Sport Trust has launched its latest Class of 2035 Report, warning that unless urgent action is taken to increase physical activity among children, this generation will face poorer health, lower happiness and reduced life chances over the next decade and beyond. 

The charity’s warning comes in after new insights from Sport England, which underscore the enormous social and economic value of physical activity across England.

The Class of 2035 report, produced in partnership with research agency Savanta, uses artificial intelligence modelling and insights from children’s polling to project the consequences of current inactivity trends for the children of the Class of 2035. It paints a concerning picture of a nation at a crossroads, with inactivity rising and wellbeing declining.

Sport England’s latest social value model estimates that active lifestyles provide £8bn in direct net savings to the healthcare system through illness prevention, as well as placing a wellbeing value of £14.1 billion on children and young people participation (ages 7-16). However, the Youth Sport Trust's Class of 2035 report warns without urgent action to increase children's physical activity levels, the annual direct and indirect costs of inactivity are set to soar over the next decade.

Furthermore, by 2035, if current trends continue almost half (48%) of children will spend three hours or more on screens for entertainment each day, up from 34% in 2025.

More than a third (34%) will fail to be active for even 30 minutes a day, well short of the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidance of 60 active minutes.

It also predicts that obesity rates among 10-11 year olds will surge to 24% by 2035.

The release of the Class of 2035 report comes as the Chancellor prepares to deliver the Autumn Budget. With the health and economic costs of inactivity among children projected to rise sharply, the report highlights the need for targeted investment in physical activity and PE. Strategic funding could reverse these alarming trends, helping to secure better health outcomes, educational attainment, and life chances for the next generation.

Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “Every day we read worrying stories about the declining health and wellbeing of children and young people, often the statistics are reported in isolation, and rarely is the story told of the compound impact on the next generation. This report aims to paint a holistic picture and a stark warning about where we could end up without urgent action. As a charity dedicated to the value and contribution of movement, play and sport in the education and development of children we started looking at the fortunes of the Class of 2035 ten years ago and the findings in this third report leave us in no doubt things can and will get worse for children, but also for the country unless we accept children must move, play and be active every day for normal physical, social, emotional and cognitive growth.

“Forthcoming changes to reimagine the Physical Education Curriculum, rebuild enrichment opportunities for every child and a new PE and School Sports Partnership Network supporting schools to deliver these can be the impetus for change; however, we cannot lose sight of the scale of the challenge and the need to be bold in our response. 

“By 2035, without action to increase physical activity levels and improve access to the many benefits associated with active childhoods, we will have delivered a generation with poorer health, lower happiness, lower attainment and as a result, lower life chances than generations prior - a legacy of physical and mental neglect. Young people consistently tell us they want to move more, so let’s listen to them and not limit them.”