The LEGO Group has today announced its new Play is Your Superpower campaign, aimed at addressing a global lack in play amongst children. Together with a global Play Squad of supporters, the LEGO Group is inspiring families to reprioritise playtime, emphasising its critical importance in childhood development and the role it has in bringing fun to families around the world.

The campaign draws its insights from a recent global study finding that, on average, children are spending just 2% of their week (equivalent to 7 hours) playing, with one in three (32%) spending less than three hours each week enjoying play. Comparatively, the average adult spends 26 hours a week scrolling on their smartphone, an average of more than 3.5 hours per day. This current play deficit is a cause for concern for experts given the crucial role of play in shaping a child’s cognitive abilities, overall wellbeing and most importantly, in them having fun.

The study also highlighted that 70% of parents are choosing to prioritise achievement-based activities for their child over free play because they believe that it will lead them to greater success in the future. The activities that adults are most often choosing over play include sports clubs, learning a language and tutoring.

To accompany the campaign, the LEGO Group has today released a five-minute Play Is Your Superpower film, starring Hollywood actor Jane Lynch as a work-obsessed CEO who becomes enlightened to the merits of play by seeing the impact it makes on her employees through the eyes of children. Superstar actress Sun Li takes on the role of the CEO in an adaption for families in China. The film is playable and packed with easter eggs; viewers can play along and find their own playful superpower at LEGO.com.

It’s not only children that benefit from play. Play makes the whole family happier, builds stronger family bonds and improves wellbeing according to 95% of parents. The LEGO Group knows that family schedules are packed with everyday responsibilities like working long hours (31%) and chores (28%) proving the biggest barriers to family play according to parents. To help parents reprioritise play, the LEGO Group and its Play Squad will be supporting parents with inspiration on how to inject moments of playfulness into even the busiest of schedules on World Play Day on 12th October 2023.

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