The World Health Organization (WHO) has found that the vast majority of children in aged 11-17 do not meet even the most minimal requirements of physical activity.
The organizations findings were recently published in the esteemed medical journal, The Lancet. The study includes data from 1.6 million children.
Much of the problem is the addiction to video games, a subject of a previous study by the WHO that now lists “Gaming Disorder” as an official “disease.”
The co-author of the study specifically pointed to negative consequences of overusing digital media including smartphones, laptops, and gaming devices.
Children and teenagers in over 140 countries were studied with results showing that the problem has steadily increased since 2001.
Lack of physical activity is even more of a trend among girls globally with one of the largest gaps between boys and girls occurring in the U.S.
The World Health Organization has determined that for adolescents to be physically and emotionally healthy requires a minimum of one hour of moderate exercise per day. This can include simple activities such as walking and biking to school and playing physically active games.
Dr. Mark Tremblay, a researcher at a children’s hospital in Canada, cited lack of physical activity as the fourth leading cause of premature death.