The ever-rising popularity of television, video games, and computers has taken its fair share of blame for the declining health of our children. For the first time in history, early life experiences are formed more by LCD pixels and cartoon culture than trails and treehouses. A study conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation found that our youth now spend an average of five hours a day–40 percent of their awake hours–in front of electronic devices. And the behavior starts young. Children under the age of two years old will spend over two hours daily in front of a media screen. This is despite sixty-six percent of us acknowledge a link between childhood obesity and television.
The causes of obesity are urgent concerns. One of every three children in America is now considered overweight or obese, and childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The new style of sedentary playtime, spent in front of a screen, causes children to burn less calories and often snack on high sugar, high fat munchies–the snacks prominent in television commercials.
Yet digital and media entertainment isn’t completely to blame. It may only be a symptom of greater challenges; something to fill a child’s time due to lost options. In some neighborhoods, local access to open space has been sacrificed to development. Outdoor playtime has become increasingly criminalized. The fear of litigation from a child falling from a tree or tripping at a creek crossing is too great. With budget cuts in public education and our narrowed focus on specific subject criteria, the philosophy of field trips has shifted from broadening a student’s understanding of science, literature, mathematics or history, to being considered counterproductive. The simple truth is many factors are working against our children playing as they have in the past.
In previous blogs I have highlighted ways to spend time with your children. Most of the suggestions are, “Well, of course” ideas. But they all contain one hugely important element–you. You have to show up. Fathers tend to be the parent that best teaches interaction and playtime activities. If you relegate your child to an unsupervised virtual world you are simply not parenting.
