You’ve been championing the cause of children’s wellbeing for many years — most notably, perhaps, with your internationally bestselling book Toxic Childhood (2006). Can you summarise what you see as the most important factors that are threatening children’s well-being in today’s world?
 
Sadly, it starts from birth. There are two biological necessities for children’s long-term physical and mental health — close, loving relationships with the adults who care for them; and from around age three, social, active, outdoor play with other kids. Love and play. 

As long as families’ basic material needs are met, our evolutionary heritage provides both of these for free: parents naturally love their children and kids have an inborn drive towards independent play. 

But a hyper-competitive market economy encourages adults — and children — to confuse love and play with “stuff.”  
 
This excessive materialism (along with increasing urbanisation) means children’s lives are increasingly institutionalised from an early age, and “play” is generally indoors, sedentary and often screen-based.