Sports, not screens: The key to happier, healthier children

medicalxpress ^ | 06/22/2022

[devane617]

Whether it's sports practice, music lessons or a casual catch up with friends, when children are involved in after-school activities, they're more likely to feel happier and healthier than their counterparts who are glued to a screen.

In a new study conducted by the University of South Australia and the Department for Education, researchers found that children's well-being is heightened when they participate in extra-curricular activities, yet lowered when they spent time on social media or playing video games.

Published in BMC Pediatrics, the study analyzed data from 61,759 school students in years 4 to 9 (via the 2018 South Australian Well-being and Engagement Collection), assessing the average number of days per week children participated in after-school activities (3–6pm), and measure these against well-being factors—happiness, sadness, worry, engagement, perseverance, optimism, emotion regulation, and life satisfaction.

It found that most students watched TV about four days of the school week and spent time on social media about three days of the week.

[devane617]

Why do we need huge studies to arrive at the obvious conclusion? My lovely wife is a critical care RN and she sees patients she says can't communicate or have low communications skills and all are possessed by a cyber world of gaming. They're like zombies she says and present with the same issues.

[ClearCase_guy]

I find I bump into a lot of people who cannot speak in sentences:

“I was at the. And whatever. The guy was, I don’t know, you know? And he goes. I’m like, no way. I mean, whatever, dude.”

Minds of mush.

[V_TWIN]

“In a new study conducted by the University of South Australia...”

Pretty ironic considering Australia had one of the most if not THE most draconian covid lockdown policies in the world.

Lock kids down for 2 years and then have the epiphany thst they have communication problems......gee I never saw that coming. SMH

[BitWielder1]

No sports without mask, goggles, helmet, gloves, knee and elbow pads, and other protective equipment.
Oh, and fully jabbed and boosted in case they touch or breathe on each other.

[married21]

Outdoor unstructured play is great, and requires no special equipment. Go climb a tree.