The popular image of British kids as pallid porkers glued to TVs and computer screens does not hold true, according to a recent survey.

In fact, a high proportion of the respondents' children claimed they spent more than 50% of their time outside during the summer holiday period of July and August, according to online kids’ department store The Kids Window. The survey questioned over 400 UK parents and grandparents.

While it comes as no surprise that the survey found children are more concerned with personal possessions, body image and fashion than their parents' generation, it seems that a new skateboard or trampoline is as likely to make their wish lists as a mobile phone or Xbox.

Over 50% of respondents (and 64% in the sunny south east) also said that, after school and during weekends, their children participated in a mixture of indoor and outdoor activities, with only 7% of kids in London spending most of their time in front of a screen.

"Parents are bombarded with hype and become anxious about how modern life is affecting their kids,” said Jason Lewis, director of The Kids Window. “Our survey shows that, just because children aren't playing hoops and hopscotch in the street, they still enjoy all the benefits of outdoor play."

He added that while it's easy to be nostalgic about the time before computers and satellite TV, today's children not only enjoy simply playing in the back garden, but have access to activities their parents could only experience as adults, such as surfing, sailing, kayaking and climbing.

The results should please the obesity experts, who claim that encouraging kids to spend just 15 minutes a day involved in moderate exercise could prove to be beneficial. To read more, Click Here.

Spending hours in front of the TV has been shown to increase your risk of obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease. For more on how your TV could be killing you, Click Here.