The picture shows a family all looking at a television. The father is sitting on the sofa with a baby on his lap; he is interacting with the baby. The mother sits on the floor next to the sofa. A child is on a Wii Fit Board playing a game. The mother is keeping an eye on the screen to observe what the child is doing.One factor often identified as contributing to childhood obesity is the abundance of technology now available to most children, which allegedly discourages them from participating in more traditional physical activities. However, the wide range of technology available means it can exert a variety of effects on children’s participation in physical activity. Before reading on, attempt Activity 1.Activity 1 Is technology helping or hindering children’s physical activity levels? Your initial responseAllow 15 minutesConsider the question ‘Is technology helping or hindering children’s physical activity levels?’ Reflect on your current thoughts on this matter. You may like to note these down as you will revisit this later.Your thoughts on this will be impacted by a number of factors. For example, some of you may use technology such as tablets when coaching, instructing or teaching children in order to record progress, enhance skills development or encourage greater activity levels. Some of you may be parents who find yourselves battling against technology, such as smartphones, laptops and games consoles, to encourage your children to be active. Yet some of you may have little actual experience of children and technology and so your judgement is based on what you have read in the media. Keep your notes safe as you will revisit this question at the end of the course, following our exploration of the evidence. You might find it interesting to see whether your views change.2 In what ways do children interact with technology?You will start by looking at the range of technology that children typically have access to, the different ways in which they engage with it and the impact of technology on their physical activity levels.
Figure 2 Father and toddler looking at a tablet
The picture shows a father holding a tablet and next to him, his toddler is looking at it with him.The range of technology that children have access to has changed enormously over the past two decades, and today’s ‘digital universe’ is very different from the universe that many of us will have grown up in. Children of today are often referred to as ‘digital natives’, as they have been brought up using the internet and technology from a very young age.Activity 2 introduces you to a family whose 5-year-old daughter has developed a less-than-positive relationship with technology.Activity 2 Children and technologyAllow 20 minutesNow watch the video, Digital devices and children (located partway down the article page), to see how a family are working towards changing their daughter’s use of technology. Although this is aimed at parents, it provides a useful insight into how some families use technology and the impact of this on their children’s physical activity levels.Now think back to when you were a child growing up, and answer the following questions:What technology did you have access to?How did you spend your free time?Depending on your age you may have had access to very similar technology to that which is around now. However, for some people a TV may have been the sole form of technology you had access to. Free time outside of school may have been dominated by playing with friends or at after-school clubs, screen time or spending time with family. It is worth reflecting on the different ways that children spend their free time now. 3 What impact does screen time have on activity levels?As shown in the video in Activity 2, currently children in Western society typically have access to at least one device, such as a tablet or smartphone or some form of games console. In fact, research shows that by the age of 10 years, children have access to five different screens at home (Richardson, 2012). But in what ways does this impact a child’s physical activity levels? Is screen time always sedentary and does it always discourage physical activity?
Figure 3 Two young girls playing on a tablet
The picture shows two young girls of age about 5 years playing on a tablet.Some academic studies have linked the rise in screen time (television, computers, video games and mobile devices) to a lack of physical activity in children. For example, Maher et al. (2012) conducted a study with 2,200 Australian 9- to 16-year-olds and found that an increased likelihood of a child being overweight or obese was often associated with higher screen time. One possible explanation for this is that certain unhealthy behaviours may occur alongside screen time, such as frequent snacking, long periods of inactivity and disruptions to sleep.In the academic literature investigating screen time, many studies refer to ‘sedentary behaviour’, which is typically any activity involving sitting or lying down. It is important to note that sedentary behaviour and physical activity are not mutually exclusive and that very active children can also engage in sedentary activities. Fakhouri et al. (2013) used data from a U.S. national survey and found that fewer than four in ten children met both physical activity and screen time recommendations (screen time recommendations were no more than two hours a day). Even so, the study clearly stated that low levels of screen time viewing may not necessarily predict higher levels of physical activity.In Activity 3, you will read an article about a poll that explored whether parents felt that increased screen time reduces children’s physical activity levels, and to consider the statistical evidence produced.Activity 3 iPad kidsAllow 30 minutesRead the article ‘iPad Kids’ at risk of long-term poor health as parents struggle to wean children off gadgets and then answer the following question:What are the three key statistical points that you feel this article contributes to the screen time versus physical activity debate?After reading the article, the course team picked out the following three statistics as being important to the discussion regarding technology and physical activity:Just 47 per cent of parents think that there are enough affordable opportunities for children to be active in their local area during school holidays, potentially resulting in children turning more to computer-based activities.87 per cent of British parents feel that increased use of tablets and smartphones by children has contributed to a decline in the amount of exercise they do.In all, 34 per cent of parents disagreed that parents were provided with enough information by the government on the health risks of excessive sedentary time.You may have noted that these statistics illustrate that the amount of time that children spend engaging with technology is an issue very much intertwined with parenting styles and wider society in general.4 Why is controlling screen time important?The general recommendation for screen time is approximately two hours a day, although there is no uniform global guidance on this in the way there is for physical activity (AAP, 2016). This suggested figure is based on research showing that excessive media use can lead to attention problems, difficulties at school, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity. But why is it important to look at screen time and what connection does this have with a child’s physical activity levels? Activity 4 will explore this.
Figure 4 Girls playing on tablets
The picture shows two girls of age about 9 years lying on the floor playing on their tablets.Activity 4 Screen time, physical activity levels and blood pressureAllow 45 minutesRead an article by the NHS titled ‘Over two hours screen time a day may raise a child’s blood pressure’, which discusses some research that was published in the International Journal of Cardiology. Then note down the main conclusions presented in the article.The study reported that high blood pressure existed in just over 10 per cent of children, which was double the predicted 5 per cent. It also reported that the risk of high blood pressure was 53 per cent more likely for children with low levels of physical activity and 28 per cent more likely for children with more than two hours of ‘screen time’ a day. Therefore, physical activity can be seen to have a greater influence on a child’s blood pressure than screen time.5 Active gaming: a positive side to screen time?Despite the negative links with obesity and physical activity, there are changes in the way in which children are spending their screen time, which can be far from sedentary. For example, in 2016, ‘Pokémon GO’ (see Box 1) was the latest craze that got children and adults more active. With the development of health and fitness-related apps, there is the potential that screen time will not necessarily always be sedentary.Box 1 What is Pokémon GO?