Screens, Exercise and Childhood Health

Sometimes research will confirm what our intuition has already told us. That’s certainly the case when it comes to kids and obesity. Researchers have been warning us for years that a child’s heavy use of digital media is associated with the risk of being overweight later in adolescence. We’ve also learned that increased and regular physical activity gets kids off their chairs, on their feet, and moving around, which protects children from weight gain both now and in later adolescence. A recent study found that children who are engaged in heavy media use at the age of eleven, will decrease their risk of being overweight at age fourteen if they engage in more than six hours of physical activity a week. Again, this is common sense. Parents, there are many detrimental effects to overuse of digital devices. Set limits on screen time. In addition, require your kids to engage in the kind of regular daily physical play and exercise which will facilitate better stewardship of their God-given bodies.