Children nowadays spend more time on screens and less time doing active or creative things. Why do you think this is the case? What measures could be taken to encourage children to spend more time doing active and creative things.

Gone are the days of children riding their bikes without parental supervision, building treehouses and playing street cricket with their neighbourhood friends. The modern child is much more likely to be found indoors glued to a screen. In this essay, I will outline two key factors that are driving this trend and suggest ways youngsters can be redirected towards more physical and creative pursuits. In my view, the main reason why children spend so much time on their devices these days is simply because there is so much media to consume. Whereas youngsters in the past had to wait for their favourite shows to come on at a certain time, nowadays, thanks to services like Netflix and YouTube, they have access to an unprecedented amount of content. Not only is there more, but the quality is high and variety endless. As such, it can be difficult for children to turn off. Another factor contributing to the increasingly sedentary nature of young people is the rise in digital technology more broadly. With the internet on their phones, immersive video games on their laptops, not to mention the lure of social media and other addictive apps, children can struggle to disconnect and get out into the real world. Indeed, even primary aged children can be found hunched over their tablets at lunchtime rather than running around or engaging in imaginative play. To tackle this problem, parents need to play a more pivotal role. The first step is to set firm boundaries around screen time. If they do not, youngsters are unable to draw the line for themselves. Cutting off access to devices or establishing reasonable limits would force children to find another activity to entertain themselves. Regarding physical activity, this too falls to the parents. Given the powerful attraction of screens and devices, parents simply must physically remove their child from the house and model good behaviour themselves. Walking to school and going to the park after class are two easy ways parents can ensure their children are moving. In conclusion, while screens have always been alluring to children, resistance is now becoming almost impossible. In order to maintain balance for these young people, and to ensure they are exercising both mind and body, it is incumbent on parents to set limits and, more importantly, to set a good example themselves.