She also said parents, policymakers, and technology companies must work together to reduce access to screens, limit social media engagement, and promote more physical activity.She expressed that this will help adolescents develop healthier habits and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Accelerometer-based sedentary time (ST) was assessed over seven days, alongside surveys evaluating recreational screen time, transport-related sitting time, and environmental factors such as home environments and neighbourhood features.Home environmental factors such as access to social media accounts, strongly influenced screen time, the study said.Dr. Ranjani Harish, Senior Scientist and Head of the Department of Preventive and Digital Health Research at the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, added: “Both home and neighbourhood environments play a critical role in shaping sedentary behaviour. Urban planning, community safety, and supportive home environments collectively influence how adolescents balance their time between active and sedentary pursuits. These findings call for holistic policies to reduce sedentary time and enhance the overall health of young people worldwide.”Many countries are already taking action to address this rising concern.Australia has recently introduced policies banning social media use for children under 16, aiming to reduce its negative impact on adolescent health and wellbeing.“This study underscores the importance of integrating behavioural, environmental and policy-based approaches to address the rising sedentary lifestyle among adolescents. With social media emerging as a major contributor, it is vital to focus on creating healthy digital habits and improving community infrastructure to effectively reduce sedentary time,” it said.
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