What's the Use of the "Right to Play"? 4 Out of 10 Children Say "We Have No Time to Play"

Scores for Right to Play Awareness Exceed 3.6, Yet Actual Experience Lags Behind

Children Seek "More Time," Adults Emphasize "Raising Awareness"

While there is a high level of social awareness regarding children's "right to play" as a fundamental right, not many children actually feel that they fully enjoy this right. In particular, 4 out of 10 children responded that they lack sufficient time to play.

The National Center for the Rights of the Child announced on May 3, 2026, the results of its "2025 Child Rights Awareness Survey," which surveyed 1,177 children from 4th grade in elementary school to 2nd grade in high school, as well as 815 adults.

The overall awareness score for child rights was 3.68 out of 4, and the right to play scored 3.69, indicating a high level of recognition of the right to play. However, the perceived sense that these rights are actually guaranteed was lower, with an overall score of 3.21 and the right to play at 3.15, both below average.

Children playing in the water.

According to the survey, 40.1% of children cited "lack of time to play" as the biggest factor preventing the guarantee of their right to play. Other limiting factors included adult interference (29.4%), lack of awareness of the importance of the right to play (13.9%), lack of play spaces (6.5%), and lack of information (3.8%). Each of these factors independently restricts the right to play.

Adult respondents showed similar results. Among adults, 34.8% also identified "lack of time to play" as the most significant problem. This was followed by lack of awareness of the importance of the right to play (25.5%), adult interference (19.4%), and lack of play spaces (12.0%).

However, there was a difference between children and adults in terms of perceptions regarding solutions. Children considered "providing time to play" (38.3%) as the most necessary form of support, whereas adults saw "raising awareness of the importance of the right to play" (32.5%) as the top priority.

The National Center for the Rights of the Child analyzed that "since children often need adult permission to play freely, they consider securing time for play as the most important issue, whereas adults tend to place more emphasis on indirect factors, such as improving awareness."

Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child clearly states that every child is guaranteed the so-called "right to play," which ensures their freedom to participate in rest, leisure, play, and cultural and artistic activities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.