Florida Today – Terri Friedlande
When I was a kid in first grade, I despised gym class. The bullies called me “Tubby.” That hideous, one-piece uniform exposed my fat arms and legs. Usually the last one picked for a team, I felt slow, awkward and clumsy. Those embarrassing moments made me want to run home. And eat. https://www.floridatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/02/22/schools-taking-childhood-obesity-seriously-opinion/2951872002/
The 74 Million – Laura Fay
The World Health Organization declared “vaccine hesitancy” one of the top 10 threats to global health in 2019. Already this year that threat is evident across the United States, where regions with high rates of vaccine exemptions have been hit particularly hard by measles outbreaks since New Year’s. Doctors say the infection has reappeared in part because of persistent misinformation about vaccines that thrives in parent groups on Facebook. But as the illness has spread, some parents and young people are reconsidering their decisions about immunizations, while state lawmakers are looking for ways to prevent future outbreaks. https://www.the74million.org/7-surprising-lessons-from-the-2019-measles-outbreak-teens-defying-parents-on-vaccines-affected-children-left-more-susceptible-to-other-illnesses-more/
WebMD – Jennifer Clopton
Kathy Ferony has four sons between the ages of 12 and 19. Between recess and the fact that they’re all avid baseball players, she feels good about the exercise they’re getting. And even though they’re night owls, she says they seem happy and get good grades with 6½ to 8 hours of sleep a night. But she says the real challenge in her family is screen time. https://www.webmd.com/children/news/20190222/few-teens-meet-sleep-screen-exercise-guidelines
The Conversation – Sarah Gretter
With all the time that young people spend in front of screens these days – from TVs to laptops, cellphones and iPads – children are bound to see a lot of ads and commercials. On average, American children spend anywhere between three to nine hours of time on screen. This includes TV, DVD, mobile, computer and video games. https://theconversation.com/3-tips-how-to-teach-children-to-watch-commercials-more-closely-111265
The Irish Examiner – Sharon Ní Chonchúir.
MÁIRE Toomey from Cabinteely, Co Dublin, didn’t realise she had a problem until her husband told her to put down her phone. “He told me that one of our children had been trying to talk to me and I hadn’t heard them because I was so engrossed in the screen,” she says. “I immediately felt terrible.” https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/lifestyle/healthandlife/screened-out-what-happens-when-a-parent-is-distracted-by-technology-906185.html