In this study, Dr. Jenny Veitch and colleagues interviewed 78 parents from five primary schools in Melbourne, Australia to investigate children's free-play and their perceptions about what influences children's free-play. The interviews provided information regarding individual, social, and physical influences on children's play. In their analysis, Dr. Veitch and colleagues found that children primarily engaged in free-play in their yard at home, with a smaller percentage of parents reporting that their child often played in the street and public open spaces. The most important influence on a child's mobility was safety, with 94% of parents stating that safety was their biggest concern. Parents' safety concerns centered around strangers, teenagers and gangs, and road traffic. Other influences on mobility included a child's independence (for example, older children had greater independence than younger children); a child's attitude towards free-play (for example, parents often described their children as being
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