NEW YORK, April 11 (UPI) -- New York City public school playgrounds will be quiet this spring as officials keep students inside during recess because of budget and safety concerns.

Students across the city are sitting in auditoriums and cafeterias to watch videos during their recesses rather than letting off steam outside. The action is largely due to new regulations that release teachers from the responsibility of monitoring students in lunchrooms, hallways and outdoor play areas, the New York Daily News reported.

Circular 6R is a contract provision requiring schools to hire aides to monitor students during non-academic periods, putting the squeeze on already meager budgets and adding more sedentary time to the daily routine of New York's school kids, an increasing number of whom are overweight or obese.