Kids are stressed out in Mumbai India- some survey stats to prove the point. A times of India initiative

Pointers: The weight of the schoolbag is killing: primary kids are made to carry an average of 9 kg as against the recommended weight of less than 5 kg.This affects the head, neck, trunk and lower limb angles, changing the overall posture of the child. 62% kids have a personal computer at home 79% are mobile phone users. Most parents are unhappy with their levels of involvement in terms of time spent with their children. One study says that only 50% of parents are happy with their involvement in their kids lives. Children aged 6-17 watch 35 hrs of TV a week. On an average . 82% of teenagers spend 14-16 hrs playing video games. And 7% from this are pathological gamers spending over 20 hrs a week. 63% of students spend at least an hour online everyday. 40% of mumbai's children have been exposed to online adult content- more than in any other city. They are also victims of cyber bullying. (33% have been bullied at least once) 40% of children visit malls, supermarkets, at least once a month. 95% of Mumbai's children eat pre-dinner snacks like burgrs, pizzas, french fries, samosas, vada pav and noodles. 78% of parents have never discussed sex openly with their kids pocket money given ranges from Rs.3500 to Rs. 12000 per month and is spent on chlothing, physical appearance, gadgets and lifestyle products. 60% of of mumbai's kids think it's important to wear the latest fashion. mumbai has a green ratio of only 0.03 acre of open space for every 1000 kids against an ideal of 4 acres per 1000 kids. 16% of total educational expenditure is spent onprivate tuitions, coaching. Nearly 4% of children have asthma, while over 6% complain of breathing problems. 30% of children in private schools are overweight/obese, the second highest number in the country.About 88% boys and 85% girls don't walk the recommended 15000 and 12000 steps a day respectively. 28% of students sleep less than the recommended 8 hrs everyday. 17% of children suffer some kind of stress. studies show that children bear the brunt of an outbreak of any disease in the city. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Children are not taught to take no for an answer. Children with poor coping skills are a reflection of poor parenting. Kids are left with little unstructured time. Psychiatrists say that movies and video games have replaced outdoor play that boosted children's anti-stress mechanisms. Kids these days live in a bully environment at home.their own thinking and creativity are hampered by unrealistic expectations.Children do not anymore understand that when they commit mistakes they are accumulating experience for the future. Any failure becomes dificult to digest and they easily get demotivated. -Dr. Sanjay Kumavat, Psychiatrist. Parents can reach out to their little ones- Pick up early signs of anger in their children Watch out for impulsivity in children between 4-5 years. this may lead to violece at a later stage in life. monitor conent they watch on TV,video and internet. Improve play and sleep time of children Put your child through a life skills program Help the child share his or her feelings. Be a friend If your child appears violent then gently reinforce concepts of good and bad. If kids have a attention deficit disorder or emotional problems seek help.