1 . The World Health Organization (WHO) says that 80% of the world’s teens don’t get enough exercise to live healthy lives. The report, published in The Lancet, was based on research done with students aged 11 to 17 in 146 different countries. The WHO has been studying teen activity levels since 2001.       1    

Doctors say 60 minutes’ daily exercise is needed for teens to build up their bone and muscle strength.       2       Regular activity can help them control their weight, too. Besides, more and more research is showing that exercise doesn’t just help the body, but also the brain, improving thinking, test scores, and school grades.

    3       They were also very different between boys and girls. In the US, for example, 64% of boys were not active enough, compared to 80% of girls. ROK (Republic of Korea) was the country with the lowest activity levels   — 91% of the boys and 97% of the girls didn’t get enough exercise.

One big reason for the lack of activity in today’s teens is technology, such as smartphones, computers and TVs.       4       The pattern of inactivity can severely affect their growth.

The WHO warns that teens need to do less playing in the digital world, and more playing in the real world. Teens should take part in sports, whether on official teams or just playing around on the playground. Exercise can also be built into a normal day’s activities.       5       Building such a habit now has positive effects on teens’ life.