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Reports: Declining Physical Activity in Children & Increased Screen Time

It is our responsibility as adults to prepare children for their future. To provide opportunities for them to learn, play and grow.

However, in recent years, we are becoming less present and less involved. We can do better.

Close Up Portrait of Young Boy Wearing Baseball Cap Lying on Stomach on Skateboard with Head Resting in Hands and Looking into the Distance in front of Graffiti Covered Wall in Skate Park

The recently released Participaction Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth shows that physical activity, sedentary activity and sleep are closely interrelated. Here are some significant numbers:

  • Only 9% of Canadian kids aged 5 to 17 get the 60 minutes of heart-pumping activity they need each day.
  • In recent decades, children’s nightly sleep duration has decreased by about 30 to 60 minutes.
  • The average 5-17 year-old Canadian spends 8.5 hours being sedentary each day.
  • 31% of school-aged kids and 26% of adolescents in Canada are sleep-deprived.

Download the Highlight Report (pdf)

Download the Full Report (pdf)

group elementary school students in computer class

Additionally, Common Sense Media recently released a study of Media Use by Teens and Tweens. Some key findings:

  • American teenagers (13-18 year-olds) average about nine hours (8:56) of entertainment media use, excluding time spent at school or for homework.
  • Tweens (8-12 year-olds) use an average of about six hours’ (5:55) worth of entertainment media daily.
  • Only 3% of Tweens and Teens’ digital media time is spent on content creation (39% passive consumption, 26% communication).
  • More parents are concerned about the type of media content their children use than how much time they spend using it.

Download the Key Findings (pdf)

Download the Full Report (pdf)

We can do better for our kids. Unplugg’d is working on creating tip sheets for parents to help you engage with your children, have conversations around screen time and methods for reducing the amount of time your children spend in front of a screen and increasing the amount of time they spend outdoors, reading and playing.

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