It is no secret that a new digital age has changed the lives of children across the world. Play ground populations are dwindling as a rise in attention grabbing social networking platforms continues. However, nowhere are the changes to a digital era more evident than in physical health.
The World Health Organization recommends that children ages 3 to 4 should engage in 180 minutes of physical activity, less than an hour of screen time, and receive 10-13 hours of sleep each night. Recent studies found that only 1/7 children within that age range meet the global recommendations.
Even in Africa, a region where technology is less prevalent and physical activities are more abundant, only 23.9 percent of children are fulfilling healthy activity levels. This problem becomes even more commonplace in the highly modernized United States where just 7.7 percent of children meet these requirements.
While more prominent in high-income countries, this issue continues to impact all socioeconomic groups, with high-income groups meeting 14.4 percent of the recommendations, and middle-to-low income countries completing just 16.6 percent.
It has been found that early childhood is critical to building life-long habits as well as supporting the growing and developing child. Experts warn that the health of future generations remains in jeopardy until the world takes a more serious stance on regulating young children’s physical health.
With a powerful continuation of a digital age on the horizon, it will be integral to continue to promote proper sleeping routines, regulated screen usage, and plenty of time in the playground.
For more information click here
Leave a Reply