The internet and young people’s exercise habits

The internet is like fire and water: useful in the right amount, harmful when it gets out of hand. This article is about how endless information, images and games can rob a young person of focus, of the habit of moving and of the willingness to push themselves. The problem isn’t that computers are bad. The problem is moderation.

Why does the internet affect young people so strongly?

Fire is a very good thing. Since ancient times it has given us warmth, light and a way to cook food. Yet we all know what fire does when it gets out of control. A forest fire or a burning house is no longer a benefit but a great loss.

Water is just as essential. Without water there would be no life. We drink it, wash with it, cook with it, and we ourselves are largely made of it. But picture a flood or a storm at sea, and the image is completely different. Something that is vital in moderation can become dangerous in excess.

The internet fits this company well. It gives us knowledge, connects us with friends, helps us learn and keeps us in touch with the world 24/7. All of that is useful as long as the user is in charge of the internet, not the other way around. Once the screen starts to control our time, attention and choices, the picture changes fast.

As a teacher who works with young people, the change I find most painful to see is superficiality. It doesn’t appear overnight. It grows quietly. A click here, a click there, a couple of lines of text, a new picture, a new video, a new game. Everything is within reach at once, but very little is ever really dug into.

When there is an insane amount of information, you get the feeling that you should look at everything at once. You open an article and skim it. Then you notice another headline and move on. A third one looks even more exciting. In the end your head is full of noise but short on clear knowledge. Honestly, I’ve noticed this in myself too, even on strength-sports topics. If the idea doesn’t come across in the very first lines, your hand is already itching to move on.

In training, this is especially dangerous. One text says: train like this and the results will come. A couple of inches further down, another promises that this is exactly how you must not train. One recommends one thing, another recommends something else. That kind of conflict can be educational if a person is able to tell the important from the unimportant. Without that skill, a young person just ends up doubting, hopping around and quitting halfway.

How does the internet erode focus?

The main problem isn’t that information exists. The problem is the habit of constantly moving on before a single thing has truly sunk in. A book demands immersion. Training demands repetition. A physical skill demands patience. The screen, however, often teaches the opposite: when you get bored, pick something new.

Image culture is a good example. At some point, Rate, Orkut.com and similar sites made rating photos a normal form of entertainment for many young people. The idea itself is strange: we give each other’s pictures scores and read the comments. Funny at first glance. Looked at more deeply, though, it teaches a young person to tie their self-worth to outside reaction.

If someone has been used to looking at and rating pictures since the age of five, it may happen that even at twenty they find it hard to enjoy anything that doesn’t give quick feedback. A book doesn’t hand out ten points right away. A tripod headstand doesn’t work on the first try. A pull-up won’t compliment you. But it is exactly these things that build persistence.

Computer games on the internet work on the same pattern. If one game doesn’t work out, you can pick the next. If the next one seems hard, you move on again. There are hundreds of thousands of options. It used to be different. I once had a game set with a joystick and yellow cartridges. In total there were 2 – 3 games on it, for example Supermario and Tank. There was almost no choice, so I played the same games for a long time and got really good at them.

This small example explains a lot. When there is no choice, you stick with one thing. When you stick with one thing, you start to see progress. When you see progress, confidence appears. But if you can click away from difficulty at any moment, the habit of pushing yourself never forms. In training, that habit is decisive.

At school it shows up very simply. We practice, for example, the tripod headstand, that is, a stand supported on the head and hands with the legs up. Some kids try four times and already say they can’t do it. They aren’t ready to do the same thing 50 times, calmly and getting a little better each time. Often it’s 4 – 5 attempts, then they sulk and say: but I did try.

So what is actually going on? The screen teaches that if something doesn’t work out, you pick something new. In a PE lesson that doesn’t work. The ball doesn’t get lighter, the barbell doesn’t rise by itself and coordination doesn’t appear without practice. At school, in the gym and in life, some things you simply have to learn.

What to do when the internet takes over movement time?

Young people’s physical fitness, at least in Estonia, is often dismal. I don’t say that with malice. I see it in lessons. I start teaching from third grade, and the newer the primary-school class that comes in, the clearer it is that the work that used to be done outdoors has been left undone.

In my day there was no internet. Entertainment was largely physical. People worked, chopped wood, made hay, helped out with forestry work. When there was no work to do, we played dodgeball, basketball, football, scouting games, pesapall (a bat-and-ball game similar to baseball) or ukaka (a pin-knocking game) until dark. Today the main source of entertainment is often the computer and the internet, indoors.

One test in primary school showed this very clearly. A pupil stood inside a circle in the middle of a basketball court holding a volleyball. They had 12 attempts. Without leaving the circle, they had to throw the volleyball up in front of themselves 12 times to a height of 3 – 4 meters, jump up to meet it and catch it in the air.

The conditions were simple: the ball had to reach a height of 3 – 4 m, the throw-and-catch could not take the pupil out of the circle, and the catch had to be made with a jump. The result was depressing. Even though we had practiced it, half of the 19 children in 4th grade could not manage it even three times. Some came back to retake the test as many as 5 times over the course of the quarter.

The grading was just as clear. To get a 3, a pupil had to make 5 accurate throw-and-catches. 1 – 4 earned a grade of 2, 5 – 7 a grade of 3, 8 – 9 a grade of 4, and a grade of 5 required 10 throws. In the end, there were four fives (5), seven fours (4), five threes (3) and three twos (2). While 4th graders could already be having serious dodgeball battles, we were only just learning to throw a ball properly with one hand and to catch it well.

Of course, not everything can be blamed on one thing. It isn’t only the internet’s fault. Home life, free time, entertainment and society’s attitudes have all changed. Even so, virtual culture plays a big part. When a child can choose between sweating and a quick screen thrill, exercise needs conscious guidance.

The simple truth: a child doesn’t get strong just by being told to “move more.” They need opportunities, role models and boundaries. Playing outdoors, ball games, simple strength exercises, cycling, skiing in winter and swimming in summer give the body what no screen can. They also teach children to lose, to try again and to take others into account.

Practical signs that parents and teachers notice

The first sign is impatience. A child tries a new exercise a couple of times and wants to give up right away. They don’t necessarily hate sport. They’re simply not used to a situation where results come slowly. Calm repetition helps here, not mockery. The task needs to be made smaller and the success made visible.

The second sign is a lack of body control. Catching a ball, jumping, throwing, balancing and crawling seem easy only if you did a lot of them as a child. If you didn’t, you have to learn them later. There is no shame in that, but it takes consistency.

The third sign is a shift in values. In the past, many saw it as a point of honor to be capable, not to finish last in a run and not to be the weakest link in a ball game. Now you sometimes hear the attitude: whatever, so I came last. That doesn’t mean every child should be a competitive athlete. But physical ability could well be a normal part of self-respect.

Recognition plays a big role here. Sport gives young people the chance to get attention for something they have genuinely worked for. When a tough rally comes up in volleyball and a young player puts the point away, the joy is honest. The team celebrates, the player feels proud, and that feeling is earned. The same goes for improving a long jump result or doing a first proper push-up.

Praise for your looks received online is different. When a photo on Rate.ee collects comments like “you’re so cute,” it may lift the ego for a moment, but it doesn’t carry the same weight. If an ordinary photo first gets 6 points and a slightly bolder pose brings 10 points, a young person may start to learn a false link: more attention means greater worth. From there it is easy to start valuing money, clothes, an artificial look and other people’s gaze more than skill, work and character.

Parents and teachers don’t have to ban the internet as if it were an enemy. That wouldn’t be realistic. But they do need to ask: what is this child learning behind the screen? Are they learning to concentrate or to jump around? Are they learning to create or only to judge? Do they have time left for their body, friends, real play and real effort?

A good start is simple. Set a daily screen time limit. If possible, keep the bedroom screen-free. Make exercise a normal part of family life, not a punishment. Don’t talk about sport only in terms of weight loss or grades. Talk about skill, strength, joy and how good it feels after making an effort.

And most importantly: set an example. If an adult spends their evenings scrolling on their phone, talk about concentration rings hollow. If an adult reads, moves, makes something with their hands and can stay with one activity, the child sees that life doesn’t have to consist of endless clicking.

FAQ: the internet, young people and exercise

Is the internet always bad for young people?

No. The internet can help with learning, socializing and finding good training ideas. It turns bad when the screen takes away sleep, exercise, concentration and real relationships.

How can you tell that screen time is getting in the way of sport?

Look for simple signs. The child doesn’t want to go outside, tires quickly, gives up on exercises after a few attempts or gets irritated when the screen is taken away. These signs don’t mean a catastrophe, but they call for action.

What should you do if your child can’t be bothered to move?

Start small. A ball game, a walk, a bike ride or a short exercise at home is better than a big plan that never happens. The goal is to restore the habit of making an effort and to take joy in your own body.

Author: Janar Rückenberg

Source:Turg.Fitness.ee

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