Sports: A Remedy For Screens & Obesity
As obesity continues to affect more children and young adults die to the cell phone age and digital sedentary activities, sports can support health and wellness be an approach to promote health
The digital age is stunting children’s communication skills, sports could give them a chance to reconnect with others and learn team skills
The digital revolution has transformed our world in terms of how we do business, communicate with family, friends, and employers, and how physically active children and adults are. More than ever, children spend many hours sedentary, watching screens on TVs, iPads, other tablets, smartphones, and gaming devices. The increased sedentary lifestyle in our children is contributing to childhood obesity.
Obesity affects at least one out of three American adults. As of April 2024, the CDC reports 20% of US children are obese, which means they have a BMI of the 95th percentile or higher for their age and sex between the ages of two and 19 years old. Furthermore, if parents are obese, their children are more likely to be obese. This reflects the impact that the home environment and family relationships have on children.
Promoting sports to all children at an early age is one approach to help resolve and prevent childhood obesity and excessive screen exposure. Sports provide another avenue to remove children from screens as they engage in physical activity to promote health, wellness, and team development. Sports may be a lifelong remedy to help develop children and prevent obesity before challenges start.
In addition to the physical health benefits of sports participation, sports can support mental health and social development. The digital devices that promote sedentary lifestyles in children can also impact their mental health through relentless data and social media exposure. Screen use can hinder communication skills development among children, their peers, and adults. It can affect their sleep since their brains are stimulated for hours while their bodies are physically idle.
Team sports can address all the challenges presented by the use of digital screens and the sedentary lifestyle they promote, which contribute to obesity and poor childhood development:
Physical wellness from consistent and prioritized physical activity on most days of the week. This supports health and reduces the risk of obesity.
Mental and social health wellness through participation on a team. The child will belong to a team that will practice and train together, share their wins and losses, and have a community of supporters.
Participation in club sports requires a time commitment. This guarantees that children will spend less time on their screens. Not only will they be participating in physical activity and engaging their peers, but their screen time will also be reduced.
Sports participation allows human interactions that support communication skills. The digital age can stunt children's communication skills when texting and emails are the predominant modes of communication, with less verbal or in-person engagement. Sports can give children a chance to reconnect with others and learn teamwork skills through communication, training, and collaborative problem-solving.
Better sleep. Sports will require time for physical activity, social engagement, and communication skills development, while also reducing screen time. Therefore, sports will burn a lot of energy and support your child's sleep for nightly restoration.
Obesity accelerates the aging of the human body and can cause organ failures, such as in the pancreas and kidneys, in addition to cardiovascular disease over time. Beyond screen locks and encouraging physical activity to reduce obesity in children, we can promote team sports as a way to help our children develop physical, mental, and social wellness habits early in life. Sports provide a strong foundation for personal, health, and community development that a child can carry into adulthood.
