TV makes kids fatter than video games

WATCHING TV is worse for the waistline than playing video games or surfing the net, suggest researchers at the University of South Australia.

In a study of 234 children, they found sitting in front of the TV had stronger links to obesity. They also discovered that, excluding sleep, children spent more than 50 per cent of their day sitting, with boys tending to be fatter than girls and spending 37 minutes a day more in front of screens.

It’s not clear why, said the researchers, but the results suggest that how long children spend sitting down may be less important than what they do when sitting.