Viewers of Good Morning Britain were caught up in what has become a surprisingly large debate over whether kids should be allowed to play tag at schools or not, with one mother in favor of banning the game becoming a target for mockery from host Piers Morgan.
The debate over playing tag started when a school in Brighton decided to prohibit the game.
The head teacher at Rudyard Kipling Primary School, Joanne Smith, imposed the ban on tag and sent a letter home telling parents that the school would be adopting a “gentle hands” policy at recess.
“Gentle Hands simply means playing games outside that do not need to be physical,” the letter said, according to The Sun . “This will ensure the playground is a happy, safe, and calm place where everyone can enjoy their lunchtime running around and getting the exercise we know is important to them.”
Parents at that school were not pleased with the ban.
While it might have had the intention of making the school yard safe, many told The Sun that their kids were now bored at recess and it would affect their learning in class.
“Class rooms are calm places,” said one parent. “Playgrounds are where children go to run off steam to ensure that classrooms stay calm places. A playground is anything but calm and shouldn’t be.”
So, the debate over playing tag at school arrived on the morning show.
One mother, Amy Nickell, came on the show to defend the ban, pointing out that her son had been injured playing the game and asking what good the game actually does.
“Wait a minute, who’s the winner in tag?” she asked. “Tag’s not about winning or losing, it’s literally about one-upmanship.
Behavioral specialist Jo Hemmings argued in favor of kids being allowed to play tag, arguing that kids need to play games that have some risk involved.
But the heaviest criticism came from Morgan, who mocked Nickell after she said her son had been hurt, saying “Oh no, did he? Is he okay?”
“We are creating a generation so snowflakey they won’t even be able to leave their houses when they leave school,” he continued. “We have protected them so ridiculously they are totally ill-prepared for the real world – which, by they way, isn’t all about everybody wins and everybody’s nice. The real world is tough. You’ve got to be tough to deal with it.”
It’s worth noting that some controversy arose in North America in a similar situation.
A school district in Washington state came under fire from parents after word spread that games of tag had been banned on school grounds back in 2015.
At the time, the district insisted it wasn’t banning tag, just hands-on play “to ensure the physical and emotional safety of all students.”
You can watch the Good Morning Britain debate below.
