Tech Smart Kids Pay In Pounds
from the raising-fat-nerds dept
It seems that our children are getting fatter, and now people are blaming our fat (but computer literate) children on the technology. It seems that schools are putting less money and effort towards pysical education classes, while they focus on getting students to do better on standardized exams - and shoving them in front of computers. Or, at least that's what the article is claiming. It seems to make some assumptions that may not necessarily be true. Clearly, there's an issue if our children are getting fatter - and it may be because they're spending too much time in front of television or computers. However, to simply equate the amount of money that goes towards tech education with physical education doesn't seem like a fair barometer - considering the costs associated with each. In the end, I do think pysical education is very important for kids (along with arts, music, technology, and all the other basic subjects) - but I'm not sure simply blaming the technology alone is the best way to solve the problem. The article pretty much brushes over the fact that many schools now are "catered" by places like Pizza Hut and Taco Bell - which could go a lot further in explaining some childhood obesity problems. It seems that child obesity (and obesity in general in the US) is a more complex problem than something that can simply be stated as "well, everyone sits in front of computers all the time".Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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part of the problem
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Re: part of the problem
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No Subject Given
Yep, lazy parenting has a lot to do with it, too, so the lazy ass parents blame the school boards for what? Giving their kids what the parents ask for -- quick, fatty lunches and more funding for technical skills education.
I agree in general with the story, but I also agree some things should have been more aggreesivly addressed.
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Re: No Subject Given
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BMI & self control
Self control is what is really needed. Hungry? Reach for an apple instead of a bag of chips. Thirsty? A glass of water instead of a Coke. It does take will power, but I've managed to get rid of almost all junk food, sweets, and soft drinks (beer's my downfall now ;) in the last year or so, and it's made a difference in my weight. This is what society really needs - a little restraint. You can't have your cake and eat it too, pardon the pun.
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