Are anxious mums right to fret over every potential danger, or are they ruining kids' childhoods? Tanith Carey looks at the real risks

Kids getting dirty Making mud pies in the back garden used to be an essential part of growing up. But modern mums are so paranoid about germs, children hardly even get the chance to get their hands mucky.

One in five over-sevens play outside for less than an hour a week, according to a survey by the Children's Society, yet nearly two in five kids complain they don't play outdoors as much as they'd like.

The spiralling effect is that 25% of under-11s are over-weight, while 14% are so obese their health is at risk.

Letting kids become the PlayStation generation may also lower their immunity to illness, as some exposure to bacteria is crucial to building up the immune system.

"Soil isn't sterile but as long but if children wash hands as soon as they come inside and before they eat to avoid bacteria passing to food, it will ward off most complications," says, health and food safety consultant Dr Lisa Ackerley.

Falls

So many parents are worried about falls that half of seven to 12-year-olds are banned from climbing trees , an ICM poll claims.

But the biggest risk of falls is not outside - it's in the home - and usually among the under-fives.

Around 41,000 children under-fives are taken to hospital every year after falling down stairs at home. Sarah Steel, who runs nationwide nursery chain Old Station Nurseries, says parents should not be afraid of helping children take "managed risks".

Sarah says kids need to be taught to climb - and fall - on real surfaces like earth and grass.

She says: "Parents can't eliminate risk completely but they can teach children how to manage risk with supervision.

"Teaching them coordination and physical confidence which will make them safer as they grow."

Road accidents

This is one area where it does pay to be vigilant and drum safety into children, say experts. Road accidents now account for half of accidental childhood deaths.

According to the the latest Department of Transport figures, 2,671 children were killed or seriously injured on British roads last year.

Of those, 1,660 were kids on foot.

By the age of nine, most children have the skills to cross the road by themselves, says the Child Accident Prevention Trust. But they should be taught the Green Cross Code, and warned about distractions, such as the dangers of using MP3 players and mobile phones as they cross.

Child abduction

High profile abductions such as that of Madeleine McCann means mums' anxieties about stranger danger has soared in recent years.

In a survey of 1,000 kids four in 10 are banned from playing in their local park or play area without an adult because of their parents' fears. According to the last analysis by the Home Office, the chance your child will be snatched by a stranger is one in 200,000.

Nearly half of all abduction attempts fail - and half of the cases involve people already known to them, or family members.

Those most at risk (bearing in mind the above) are girls around the age of 10. Two thirds of victims are found within 24 hours.

Child abuse and murder Though it makes uncomfortable reading, studies show most sexual and physical abuse is carried out by someone in a child's family. And although there were 21,000 sex offences against kids recorded in England and Wales last year, just 18% were committed by complete strangers - that's 82% carried out by people they know...

WHY I'M A PARANOID MUM

Claudia Redmond, 43, of Hemel Hempstead is mum to Sean, 17, Shannen, 15 and Elena, 11.

"By the time I was eight or nine, I was allowed to come and go as I pleased so long as I went back home every two hours to say I was OK. I grew up in Cork and we popped in and out of each other's houses all day long.

"Doors weren't locked - and there was a real sense of community.

You knew neighbours were looking out for you. I felt free and danger felt a long way away.

"When I had my own children I felt differently. The year my first child, Sean, was born was the year that Jamie Bulger was abducted - and by then there were 24-hour news channels. Everything felt much more immediate. When Sean was growing up, I took him to soft play centres where I knew he couldn't get hurt. They have activities planned by me - I take and pick them up, from ballet or martial arts.

"Traffic is the other factor. During my childhood I'd ride in the street on my bike and by eight I was catching a bus to school. Elena wants to do the same, but she hasn't yet because I'm worried about the dangers of her crossing the road.

"In my childhood, we knew the boundaries but I worry my kids think they're older than they are. "Kids today think they know about the world and its risks but they don't. That's why I feel I have to be there."

HOW TO GIVE YOUR KIDS MORE FREEDOM...

Keep in mind how you played as a child and how much you enjoyed the freedom of not being constantly supervised.

Get to know your neighbours and their children. Your community won't feel so scary if you know people. Agree to keep an eye out for each other's kids.

Lobby for 20mph traffic zones. In residential areas, where speeds have been cut from 30 to 20 mph, the number of child pedestrians casualties has fallen by 70%.

Teach your kids risk assessment like judging distances, testing boundaries and learning who and what to trust.

For more details on safe play spaces for kids, go to www.playengland.org.uk