Children spending three hours a day on social media are more likely to be obese
A Cancer Research UK report has revealed that children who spend more than half an hour a day online are 79% more likely to be overweight or obese.
The research said those who are online between 30 minutes and three hours a day are 53% more likely to be carrying excess weight than those who were online for less.
The same report also found that for every additional hour of commercial TV that children watched was linked with an increased likelihood of pestering their parents to buy products they’d seen advertised.
Children were four times more likely to buy chocolate and over three times more likely to buy sugary drinks if they watched more than three hours of commercial TV every day, compared to youngsters who didn’t watch as much and 59% more likely to be obese or overweight.
The study further indicates that one in three ‘year six’ children (10-11-year-olds) are overweight or obese and one in every 25 is severely obese.
The UK government has further published plans to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and will be opening consultations on policies including a 9pm watershed for unhealthy food adverts on TV, and how best to regulate on-demand and online adverts.
Read more: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/10/22/children-spending-three-hours-day-social-media-are-more-likely-be-obese