16 Jun 💻Is your child doing most of their school work online? 😬Struggling to get your child off their computers to play outside because they prefer gaming online with their friends?
According to new 2023 data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Nine in ten children (90 per cent) spend at least one hour a week on screen-based activities, with a rise in children spending more than 20 hours a week. While the percentage of children aged 5-14 years using screens remained the same (90 per cent) compared with 2017-18, the amount of time has increased.😳 Like many other countries, gaming has gained popularity among children and adolescents in Australia. A study conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in 2020 found that 97% of children aged 5 to 14 years in Australia played video games in some form.
With increasing numbers of hours spent on screen-based activities, comes a rise of children and adolescents presenting with neck pain, back pain, repetitive strain injuries in their shoulders, wrists and thumbs as well as headaches and eye strain. Here at My Favourite Physio, our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists 🤓have see an increase in younger children complaining of neck pain and back pain due to poor posture and prolonged hours spending sitting in front of a computer screen.
Here are some strategies to help reduce the risk of neck pain, back pain and headache in children:
1. Encourage your child to vary their position regularly.
2. Avoid repetitive movements such as mobile touch screen apps that require a lot of fast tapping and swiping or computer games that require a lot of mouse-clicking.
3. Take frequent breaks from screen time to exercise outdoors.
4. Limit the number of hours your child is spending on screen time each day.
If your child is complaining of headaches, neck pain and back pain, ring My Favourite Physio on 📱(02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio and let us help your child overcome their headaches 🤕, neck pain and back pain today.
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