In the last couple of posts, I’ve been looking at the effects and strains of screens on young people’s posture. It does affect young people. We might not notice anything straight away, but things, unfortunately can tend to have a cumulative effect and end up surfacing years down the line.
You’ll probably remember being told to “stand up straight” or “sit up straight” when you were a child. When that happened, you probably inwardly (or outwardly) groaned and thought “What’s the big deal here?” Perhaps you’ll gain a couple more inches!
It probably wasn’t a huge deal then but now with more screens being used and accessed seemingly 24/7 then it’s really important to be aware of how your children are viewing their screens now.
Bad (posture) habits are easy to get into and can cause excess strain in the body, which can lead to future potential problems.
What parents can do to help their children:
1. Encourage more exercise
Encourage and plan in at least half an hour of daily sport or non screen activity.
2. Use a desktop
If you don’t have a desktop computer at home, buy a laptop stand, separate keyboard and mouse for their laptop so they can use it at the desk and the screen will be at the right height. The centre of the screen should be at eye level.
See this link for more information about ==> screen height
3. Buy a proper laptop bag
If your child had to carry a laptop to school then it makes sense to buy them a proper laptop rucksack (using both straps over the shoulders!) that has proper built-in lumbar support. This way you’ll hopefully stop them carrying it over one arm. If they’re not carrying computers in a laptop bag, what sort of bags are your children using for school?
4. Teach them how to sit properly
They should sit back so their bottom is at the back of the chair so the lower back is properly supported. Feet flat on the floor. Arms should be close to the body whilst typing and horizontal. The seat should be tilted slightly so the knees are lower than the hips. Check these out for more details about sitting. http://www.nhs.uk/ http://www.ergonomics.com.au/
5. Have regular breaks
I know once your children get into ‘stuff’ they don’t want to leave it. However, your children should get up and walk around, do some stretching, squats – to decompress their spines. Set an alarm on the computer and once it goes off they can get up, stretch and get the heart racing with exercise.
6. Teach them simple stretches
Such as shoulder shrugs, shoulder stretches, thigh stretches. See these links for more detailed information: http://www.mayoclinic.com/ http://chiropractic-uk.co.uk/
7. Buy a good chair for your child
A great chair will do wonders for your child’s posture. An ergonomic chair is even better. Failing that, buy a seat wedge, an angled cushion that restores the S-shape of the lower back.
Look here for tips on ==> ergonomic chairs
8. Look and listen for signs that not all is well
If your child is telling you about neck and back pains more than three times per week then seek help from a specialist.
Check your child’s posture: is one of their shoulders raised higher than the other, their head jutting forward? Is there a flattening of the natural curve in the lower back?
9. Be the role model for your children
Make sure that you are particular about the way the workstation is set up. Talk to your children about why you’re doing it and why it’ll help them – now and in the future.
10. Limit time on screens
You can set boundaries with your children about how much screen time they have – and stick to it. They will (eventually) thank you for it. This ties in with point 1.
What can you do to start helping your child to understand posture and to help them protect their backs?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Thanks for the link back to my site! To expand on your point about desktops, you also want to make sure you don’t let the iPhone or iPad become the de facto distraction for your kids! The chin-down, forward-head, shoulders-rolled posture is infinitely worse when the device is smaller and narrower than a laptop (like an iPhone or iPad). This post on that phenomenon may be helpful for parents as well: http://www.uprighthealth.com/2012/08/16/internet-bad-for-posture/