British kids are ditching the great outdoors for the lure of the screen, with startling new figures showing they clock less than four hours of outdoor exercise a week outside school – yet rack up a whopping 14 hours on tech gadgets. A survey of 2,000 parents with children aged six to 17 revealed that youngsters spend an average of five and a half hours a week glued to the telly, five hours lost in video games, and over four hours buried in social media feeds.
In stark contrast, they dedicate just three and a half hours to reading books .This could be down to the fact nearly four out of 10 parents (38%) reported that their children view gaming as a form of exercise. A hefty 69% of mums and dads confess it's tough to push their kids to be active, with more than half having to dangle rewards or offer incentives to get them moving. This could be down to the fact nearly four out of 10 parents (38%) reported that their children view gaming as a form of exercise.
Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas has teamed up with his son Ethan and AXA Health to champion family health through a series of strength and coordination trials as two-thirds of parents reckon their own fitness routines rub off on their kids. Simon said: "From the moment they’re born, our kids are mimicking and learning from what we do. One of the big challenges now is being intentional with our time and setting a positive example.".
