Is technology making kids fatter?
So here’s some preliminary thinking; before anyone jumps down my throat. It’s only the genus of an idea.
-Childhood obesity rates are on the rise. So much so, that 37% of kids are overweight, and the rates of children developing Type 2 diabetes are skyrocketing.
-Children are more likely to be on Playstation/computer/TV in their spare time. Rather than run around and “play” military, they can play “Navy Seal” online with their buddies, or play the latest version of “NBA Street”, rather than go out and shoot a few hoops. Why pretend to be Peyton Manning in a backyard, when you can BE him in “Madden NFL 2005”?
-Schools have reduced funding for gym (I’m not talking team sports that represent the school; I’m talking good old-fashioned gym class), and reduced recess time to fulfill the US’s “No Child Left Behind” act and Canadian equivalents.
-At the same time, gym equipment and the school’s dedication to what little athletic resources they do have been tapped, due to ever-deepening budget cuts. Schools that have kids sharing textbooks are now being swept up in all the info-tech hype, and being pressured to supply AV equipment, vide cameras, desktop publishing, classroom computers, internet access, laptops to every student, etc. All items which, while kinda cool, have been highlighted by multiple education experts as being dubious in their benefits, at best.
So let me get this straight: kids, left to their own devices, are getting their fun indoors rather than out now. Technology compels them to sit on their fattening asses. Parents can influence them, sure, but the largest influencer of kids waking lives (their schools) are “refocusing” on books and technology, and completely ignoring the health of the kids. Making for smart fat kids.
I’m not a parent, but I imagine I will be one in a few years. And this shit terrifies me.
-Childhood obesity rates are on the rise. So much so, that 37% of kids are overweight, and the rates of children developing Type 2 diabetes are skyrocketing.
-Children are more likely to be on Playstation/computer/TV in their spare time. Rather than run around and “play” military, they can play “Navy Seal” online with their buddies, or play the latest version of “NBA Street”, rather than go out and shoot a few hoops. Why pretend to be Peyton Manning in a backyard, when you can BE him in “Madden NFL 2005”?
-Schools have reduced funding for gym (I’m not talking team sports that represent the school; I’m talking good old-fashioned gym class), and reduced recess time to fulfill the US’s “No Child Left Behind” act and Canadian equivalents.
-At the same time, gym equipment and the school’s dedication to what little athletic resources they do have been tapped, due to ever-deepening budget cuts. Schools that have kids sharing textbooks are now being swept up in all the info-tech hype, and being pressured to supply AV equipment, vide cameras, desktop publishing, classroom computers, internet access, laptops to every student, etc. All items which, while kinda cool, have been highlighted by multiple education experts as being dubious in their benefits, at best.
So let me get this straight: kids, left to their own devices, are getting their fun indoors rather than out now. Technology compels them to sit on their fattening asses. Parents can influence them, sure, but the largest influencer of kids waking lives (their schools) are “refocusing” on books and technology, and completely ignoring the health of the kids. Making for smart fat kids.
I’m not a parent, but I imagine I will be one in a few years. And this shit terrifies me.