For Samantha and her four-year-old son Chester, who live in Blackpool, having a playground far away from traffic is vital.

"It's free," she says and it's somewhere her son can play without having to worry "about someone coming to tell him he can't".

"A lot of children are growing up and don't have the opportunity to be able to go to other places or travel, so having somewhere close to home, that is free, is so important."

More than 400 playgrounds closed in England from 2012 to 2022 and annual park budgets have fallen, the report found.

Blackpool Better Start, which helps families with young children like Chester, has been working to transform the city's less used parks and green spaces over the last ten years.

"It is so important for families to have safe spaces to play. Families identify with the park. They feel a sense of ownership and they feel like it belongs to them," director Clare Law explains.

And there are calls for changes in schools too.

In 1995, break times in schools were around 23 minutes longer for young children than they are now, the report found.

The commission wants to see playtime during breaks and lunchtime ringfenced.

Students at St Ambrose Catholic Academy in Liverpool are guaranteed an hour's quality play every day.

Headteacher Tracy Moorcroft says it is a massive part of the school day.

"If they are building, we see them as future architects, if they're in the kitchen, could they be the next future chef? We try to link their play with aspirations for later in life."

But Ms Moorcroft is less convinced about the idea of having "always-active uniforms" which have already been introduced in some schools.

She says the school has "very high standards" for the uniform, as the children are being prepared for life beyond the school.

They get to wear their PE kit some days and wear wellies and coats so they can go outside regardless of the weather.

General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Pepe Di'Iasio agrees that playtime has been squeezed "by the drive to improve academic outcomes", but cautioned against an "overly prescriptive approach to play" as this may impact on other areas of the curriculum.

Both Wales and Scotland have already made it a legal requirement for local authorities to ensure enough opportunities for children to play.

The commission in England is calling for a national play strategy with an annual budget of £125m, led by a minister with a responsibility for play.

Baroness Anne Longfield from the Centre for Young Lives think tank, who worked on the report, said it should provide a "blueprint for how we can get children playing again and also tackle the scourge of addictive doom-scrolling".

A government spokesperson said its Plan for Change was "setting young people up to achieve and thrive – both inside and outside the classroom", and that it is investing in grassroots sports facilities and in a programme to help turn "grey school spaces green".

"From July, new rules under the Online Safety Act will require social media platforms to protect children in the UK from seeing harmful content online," the spokesperson added.

Additional reporting by Hayley Clarke and Rahib Khan