high screen time and low physical activity

[pollyesther1234]

The main objective for this app is to embed physical activity and fun exercise into children’s lives. This will not only help to prevent and tackle the rising obesity epidemic, but also encourage children to get fit and healthy. Exercise and movement also improves and stimulates the brain and improves mental health too.

Any responses would be greatly appreciated!

docs.google.com/forms/d/1wMDzmGzzR3xK_30epCgGtyI9xsNt2ivfGe6r8NMbV80/edit

There have been several of these posts lately and I hate the fact that they put the emphasis on lack of activity being the cause of obesity instead of the food they are eating.
As a Sport and Exercise Science Undergraduate, you should know that sport has an insignificant impact on weight. It also somehow puts the blame on the child, that they are fat because they don't move enough.
Exercising is great for health, but by having an app that blocks a device you will make it unpleasant and kids would associate exercise as a chore/burden instead of something they are willing to do for pleasure.
Sorry, not the answers you were wishing for but it is disheartening to see that the next generation of sport exercise professionals are still stuck in the "move more" part of the equation instead of tackling the snacking, fried food, processed food, takeaways, weaning babies on crisps and puffs, ....

OP used the words fun, mental health, stimulate brain, fit & healthy... and the word obesity. The OP was about benefits of exercise that barely mentioned obesity.

Not that my kids would use an app, though.

@Cormoran has is spot on.

"There have been several of these posts lately and I hate the fact that they put the emphasis on lack of activity being the cause of obesity instead of the food they are eating."

You can't outrun a bad diet.

If you really want to help obese kids then you need a healthy eating app for the parents.

Biggest thing that would make a difference to my kids would be a complete rethink of school PE and a better understanding of the causes of obesity.

Team sports are only good if you enjoy them and have coordination. Both of mine require strength based exercise which is completely absent within the PE curriculum. Both of mine drop fitness when in school and gain it out. Now we are homeschooling, exercise lesson and daily walk, after that I couldn't care less about screen time.

And as the other poster said obesity it less about exercise and more about diet. The food available at secondary school is rubbish unless you have a hot meal which most don't because there wasnt time. And let's face it why would you get a main meal when 2 pizza slices were cheaper. Eating cake and sweets your friends have bought it is social.

The screen time is not the problem. Understanding how nutrition works in reality and what a realistic portion size looks like very much are.

Hi there @Cormoran

I've just read your post and can understand where you're coming from. I have been looking at statistics over the past few months on this, reading many articles, journals and reports and found that due to covid-19 children have spent far more time sat down and behind a screen than they normally would. The amount of sedentary behaviour by all age groups has increased exponentially. I am a Sport Science student so most of the content I learn is based around physical activity and how that can benefit individuals mentally, who are obese and in special populations etc. As someone else has said, I didn't only use the term obese and this app isn't just for overweight children but for all children who spend far too much time behind a screen. This app is not meant to be seen as a chore to the child but in fact something they will look forward to with the large variety of fun activities to choose from.
Although I agree with you completely about nutrition being a main factor to obesity, I am not in any sort of position to be changing the food in primary and secondary schools.

I hope you understand a bit more, why this app would be beneficial to some,

Thanks

An app that will override a device and therefor interrupt whatever the child is doing on said device, I can't really see how a child will look forward to it. Stopping your video or game to do dancing or martial arts moves...

You are in for a lit of frustration and tantrums in the younger years. Kids are smart, they will probably just wait for the time slot until the device is unlocked and go the kitchen and grab a biscuit.

The view that a parent can't control their kids' screen usage / encourage physical activity and need an app to do so is also a bit condescending .

Offer instead a library of physical activities one might pick from and possibly even do with a parent, offer daily challenges and couple these with food challenges (try one of these new veggies, have a print of blueberries) , ....

And the irony of getting a kid off screen by using a screen. Screen time doesn't go down, it will probably just increase unless a child being active in front of a screen, under instructions of a screen , isn't considered screen time.

I understand why you need to do an app as part off your double course sport/startup but this will not help to prevent and tackle the rising obesity epidemic (your words)

I actually think it sounds really good OP
would like to try it myself

@Cormoran
Hi

I do understand where you are coming from!

I am really grateful for your advice. I have found so far that you are really one of the only people who have stated this will not work very confidently! I have spoken to investors, mentors and other people who have experience with applications/business start-ups and they have told me that my idea may work very well if executed properly.

I am taking into consideration children’s mental health, physical health, concentration and parents who are too busy working to encourage physical activity or take their children to the park.

I understand this is not going to decrease screen time but I’m hoping this will decrease sedentary time. As I’m sure you’re aware active screen time is completely different to sedentary screen time which is what I’m hoping to improve with my app. Exactly like Pokemon go and they were a huge success!

I am at the very beginning of market research and haven’t been able to convey everything that will be in my app but I will include competitions with friends, inclusion of family into this app and hoping to introduce this to schools so every child has the opportunity to participate with friends in the classroom.

The parent does have control from the settings and can set it to when they want the device to interrupt. That could be 45 minutes after their show just to get up and move to increase blood flow and improve concentration.

I accept that this will not suit everyone but this is the point of market research and I am very happy to include your suggestions into my pitch when applying for funding.

I am not doing this for my course, this is a business idea because I believe physical activity is extremely important to embed and include into children’s lives for multiple reasons already mentioned.

Thank you,

Polly