There are many reasons to replace passive screen time with active screen time. In one of the blogs that I follow, I recently came across a study conducted by Dave Ellemberg and Mathilde St-Louis-Deschenes, reported in Psychology of Sport and Exercise, which researched the immediate effects of exercise on the brain in 7 and 10-year old boys. Boys in each age group were assigned to either a no exercise (control) or exercise group. Both groups were given tests that measured reaction time and decision-making ability. Compared with the control group, the children in the exercise group showed a significant improvement on the tests; both reaction time and decision-making skills improved in both the 7 and 10-year olds after exercise. There were no changes in brain function in the group that did not exercise. The better reaction time and decision-making ability after exercise suggest that exercise has an immediate positive effect on the brain.
So since this study suggests that exercise improves brain function in kids, I think it is one more reason to get our kids up off the couch and moving. Instead of playing a passive video game, suggest that they play an active game; little boosts of exercise can lead to little boosts in brain function.
Ellemberg, D and St-Louis-Deschenes, M. The effect of acute physical exercise on cognitive function during development. Psychology of Sport and Exercise (2009), doi: 10.1016/psychsport.2009.09.006
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