Bubble wrap is not for people: Children (and others) should take risks this summer
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Editor’s note: Portions of this article were adapted from Colorado State University Professor Anita Bundy’s presentation, “Bubble wrap is for packages, not for people: Balancing duty of care and dignity of risk.” Bundy was awarded the 2023 Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award for contributions to occupational therapy. Bundy gave the presentation at the 2024 American Occupational Therapy Association’s annual conference in Orlando.
A Colorado State University researcher whose groundbreaking study conducted at Australian playgrounds says kids also should find themselves near possibly “risky” play areas such as rocks, trees and other outdoor areas. And the embracing of risk goes for older demographics, as well.
“Bubble wrapping children and keeping them always under the watchful eye of adults has consequences,” said Anita Bundy, a professor and head of the Department of Occupational Therapy in the College of Health and Human Sciences. “Children with or without disability continually gain skills.
“Adults of any age with or without disability benefit from support and other ways of mitigating risk. What’s more, a degree of risk is often beneficial, if not essential, even when it’s in the context of something that is more than a little scary and when other people disapprove.”
Bundy is one of the authors of an ongoing study in Norway using virtual reality to mitigate risks because actual “risky play” is increasingly more difficult to conduct due to ethical concerns, especially in the United States. Her research into play began three decades ago and morphed to include risk.
‘The dignity of risk’
Risky play is defined as unstructured and exciting activities that may involve challenges like speed, heights, obstacles or other factors that make the outcome unknown.
Bundy and other experts say challenging themselves helps girls and boys develop self-confidence, resilience and the ability to assess risk. The same goes for adults with disabilities and/or elderly people.
“When we consider freedom from any possible physical injury to be more important than self-efficacy, self-esteem, and enjoyment, we run the risk of inflicting psychological harm,” Bundy said. “With adults, the concept is similar — providing support to enable another to go a little beyond what they feel comfortable doing.
“With older adults, the concept often applies to maintaining skills and involves assessing the benefits, discussing and mitigating the risks.”
Bundy said falls happen among older people, but walking – even after a fall – may have longer-lasting benefits because not walking as much makes it harder to walk.
“I prefer to think about a balance between providing adequate help (duty of care) and taking away the dignity of risk—and to think about this balance for all people,” she said. “Overprotection of people of all ages and abilities leads to feelings of helplessness and incompetence.
“When we perpetually do things for others that they are fully capable of doing for themselves, or continually say, ‘You can’t,’ we give the message, ‘You are not capable.’ Sooner or later those individuals believe us. Is that the message you want to give?”
Overprotection leads to helplessness
To further illustrate her point, Bundy talked about how the research team asked a group of adults about childhood activities they loved to do. She said most stories involved so-called risky play involving water, climbing trees or riding go-carts fast downhill.
“There were never any adults in the stories and, unsurprisingly, most of the stories ended, with, ‘But we would never let children do these things today. We have a duty of care,’” Bundy said, adding that they asked participants if their own parents had been negligent.
“Participants often responded that they learned to take responsibility for their safety — and often for that of a younger sibling, saying things like, ‘If a parent had been there, they would have decided whether an activity was safe. We would not have thought about it.’ That marked another ‘aha moment.’
“Overprotection of people of all ages and abilities leads to feelings of helplessness and incompetence.”
The Department of Occupational Therapy is part of the College of Health and Human Sciences.