Most teenagers are doing little physical activity, with nine in 10 completing less than an hour of exercise each day.
And teens are nearly five times more likely to be on their smartphone than being active.
The shocking statistics are among the key findings of a report from VicHealth, which has just announced a $6 million program to grow teenagers’ participation in sport.
The foundation is partnering with 19 sports, including AFL, sailing, golf, lacrosse, squash, touch football and skateboarding, in a bid to turn around the statistics by making sport more attractive and fun to teens.
New activities to lure teenagers away from their screens include a seven-week festival featuring food trucks and touch football, and a rollerskating program targeting girls.
The report found that while most teens did barley any daily exercise, they spent more than three hours a day on their smartphones and iPads.
Statistics show that sports participation halves at around age 15, with almost half of kids under that age playing no after-school sport.
VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter said many teens stopped playing sport because it stopped being fun and started getting too competitive.
“Playing sport is a really fun and social way for our kids to keep active, but we know that sport participation halves when they hit their teenage years,” Ms Rechter said.
“We’re working with sports organisations to deliver programs for teens that focus more on having fun and building skills and less on winning and being the best.”
Ms Rechter said the programs would also combine sport with things teens love like food trucks, hanging out with friends and listening to music.
She said sports organisations had to try new things if they wanted to get less active teens to play sport.
“Many teenagers have told us they’re not interested in sport that’s too competitive or that takes them away from doing the things they love like hanging out with their friends.”
The Growing Participation in Sport program aims to get close to 60,000 less active teenagers playing sport over the next three years.
For more information, visit https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/funding/growing-participation-in-sport-program
