Brit kids get four hours of exercise per week - but look at screens for 14 hours

British children get less than four hours of exercise a week outside of school - but spend more than 14 hours looking at screens, according to research.

A poll of 2,000 parents with children aged six to 17 found kids spend an average of five and a half hours watching TV, five hours playing video games and four hours and 20 minutes scrolling social media a week.

That combined figure dwarfs the amount of time spent exercising and the three hours and 29 minutes spent reading books.

To encourage families to get active, AXA Health [https://www.axahealth.co.uk/health-insurance/] has teamed up with father and Sky Sports News presenter Simon Thomas, and his son Ethan. The pair took on a series of challenges, testing their strength, coordination and reaction times.

He said: “Most parents will know this, but our youngsters from the moment they’re born are mimicking and learning from what we do, how we behave, and what our habits are.

“One of the big challenges now is being present – what I mean by that is being intentional about your time with them because there's lots of pull on our attention. When it comes to exercise, you've got to practice what you preach as a parent.”

Dr John Burke, chief medical officer at AXA Health, which commissioned the study, said: "In this digital era, it’s particularly challenging to encourage kids to go outside, especially in the winter months. But children getting outdoors, playing sport or otherwise being physical, is just as important outside of school hours as it is inside of them."