Many parents don’t realize that screen time 📺can have a significant impact on their child’s weight. The National Institute of Health has statistics that show that “most American children spend about 3 hours a day watching TV. Added together, all types of screen time can total 5 to 7 hours a day.” 😮
That’s A LOT of daily screen time!
So how does this affect your child’s weight ⚖️?
1. 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞 🏋🏽♀️
When a child is watching TV or spending time on their tablet or phone they’re usually sedentary 🪑 . Spending this much time sitting or laying around leaves very little time for younger children to run around and play, or for older kiddos and teens to take part in exercise programs (like sports ⚽️) or other general physical activity 🏃🏽♀️
2. 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭-𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 🍟
Children’s TV programs often feature commercials for unhealthy snacks, sodas, fast food meals, and sugary breakfast foods🥞.
Just watching these commercials can make children crave snacks even when they aren’t hungry (it works the same way for us!).
3. 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 😩
Trust me, marketers know that kids have considerable purchase influence. Often they can get what they want simply by pestering or nagging their parents in the store.These requests usually start with wanting sugary breakfast foods followed closely by snacks and beverages🥤
𝐒𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞?
Here’s a few tips:
* Have a set time for kids to turn in their electronics in the evening
* Have your child complete their chores and homework prior to getting on electronics
* Set up screen time limits for apps (especially social media apps like TikTok)
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If you need additional help with managing your child’s weight, schedule a FREE 15 minute consult to learn how I can work with you and your child to help them achieve a healthy weight and learn to love themselves 💕
#motherbabyandbeyond #weightlossforkids #weightlossforchildren #weightlossforteens #healthykidshealthyfuture #screentime #childobesity #overweightchildren
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