Sport over screens: New program to get teens active

A new report from VicHealth has shown teenagers are struggling to do even an hour of physical activity a day and are almost five times more likely to be on their smartphone or tablet than being active.

The report highlights 92 percent of teenagers aren’t meeting the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines of an hour of physical activity every day. In contrast the average teenager spends more than three hours a day on screens like smart phones and ipads.

In response the health promotion body has announced up to $6million in new funding over three years to get teens moving as part of its Growing Participation in Sport program.

VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter said teenagers often dropped out of sport because it stops being fun and starts being competitive.

“Playing sport is a really fun and social way for our kids to keep active, but we know that sport participation halves when they hit their teenage years.

“Many teenagers have told us that they stopped playing sport because it stopped being fun. Other reasons include too much focus on the competition and skill level and teenagers having to juggle other commitments like their academic performance, part-time work and social lives.

“We want to see sport programs that are low-cost, social, and less focused on winning and being the best and more focused on having fun and building skills.