HELPING KIDS MOVE OFF SCREENS

DANISH and UK scientists say their research has found reducing children’s recreational screen time results in a substantial increase in their physical activity – by an average of almost 45 minutes a day.

The size of the effect was so large, researchers said, it suggested high screen use among children should be considered a public health concern.

The team looked at 89 families, 45 of which were asked to limit their kids’ screen use to less than three hours a week for two weeks.

The other families were asked to carry on as normal.

The children whose screen time was limited exercised for an average of 44.8 minutes extra a day, compared with before the intervention.

In contrast, in the group that did not limit the kids’ screen time, the children only exercised for an extra one minute a day when compared with before the study.

The team also looked at sleep quality for the two groups but found no differences.