Canadian kids spend as much time in front of a screen as adults do at work: study

CTV Atlantic: Making room to play A new survey suggests the average Canadian child is spending way too much time in front of a screen.

According to a new Canadian survey, children are spending as much time in front of a screen as adults do each week at work.

A new campaign by Participaction called ‘Make Room To Play,’ aims to raise awareness about the amount of time children are spending in front of a screen – TV, phone, tablet, computer.

According to a survey commissioned for Participaction last month, Canadian children up to age 12 average almost eight hours a day in front of a screen. That works out to almost 40 hours a week.

Participaction president Elio Antunes says, if you don't believe it, do what he did - audit your kids screen time.

“Conversely, what that means is, only 5 per cent of Canadian kids are actually meeting the Canadian guidelines for physical activity, which is 60 minutes of physical activity every day,” says Antunes.

The implications of this new cultural norm are serious. Kids today have health problems not typically seen until well into adulthood.

“Chronic disease, diabetes, these are things that are connected to physical inactivity,” says Antunes.

Excessive screen time has also been linked to sleep and attention problems.

Despite the numbers, only 54 per cent of parents surveyed are concerned about the screen time habits of their children.

Luke MacDonald is a running and fitness store owner and the founder of Sparks Fly, an organization that places stationery bikes in schools and classrooms across the country.

MacDonald says parents and caregivers are ultimately to blame for the dismal stats.

“That's adult laziness,” says MacDonald. “That's not us taking hold of it and saying ‘you can't do that.’ It's saying, ‘that's ok, because guess what? It gives me time to look at mine.’”

Antunes suggests setting rules around screen time.

Take phones and TVs out of the bedrooms of older kids and start a screen free day once a week, replacing it with a family activity.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jayson Baxter