As many as 45% of parents admit that their children will spend at least three hours a day in front of a screen during the winter holidays.

Daily schedule: screen beats exercise

As many as 86% of parents of school-age children who participated in a nationwide survey commissioned by the MultiSport Programme admit that maintaining a balance between activity and screen time during the winter holidays is a significant challenge. Nearly half of the respondents (45%) indicate that their children will spend at least three hours a day in front of a screen during this time. In turn, only 11% expect that their children will use electronic devices for less than an hour a day during the winter break. These statistics are alarming, especially when compared to the time planned for physical activity. Only 20% of parents assume that their children will exercise regularly for at least an hour a day for the entire two weeks. Most often (32%), parents answer that during the winter holidays their children will devote about 4–7 days to physical activity for at least 60 minutes.

Where does the balance get lost?

According to the World Health Organisation’s recommendations, children and adolescents aged 5–17 should have at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous intensity exercise per day, including muscle and bone strengthening training three times a week, to support health and optimal development. In practice, this means that an “active hour” should be a permanent element of the daily schedule, also during the winter holidays.

The WHO points out that among children and adolescents, a more sedentary lifestyle is associated with adverse health effects: an increased risk of overweight or obesity, poorer cardiometabolic health, lower fitness level, reduced sleep time, but also a deterioration in behavioural and prosocial behaviours. That is why the WHO recommends reducing the time spent sitting, especially in front of screens.[1] The negative impact of screens, especially social media and computer games, on children’s psyche is emphasised by psychiatrist Andrzej Silczuk.

– When faced with the dopamine trap of social media or computer games, a child is often defenceless. Meanwhile, the winter holidays should be a time of strategic reset for the nervous system. Overexposure to digital stimuli, especially those from social media, can lead to problems with concentration, sleep and emotional regulation. It is worth offering children an alternative that will provide them with natural dopamine. Physical activity – preferably undertaken together with parents – is a very good way to go. If we take our children to a swimming pool, a climbing wall, a bowling alley or an ice rink, we give them something that the best mobile application cannot replace: a sense of agency and genuine parental attention. Sport is a natural way to regulate emotions and relieve the tension accumulated after six months of study. It also teaches how to cope with failure and perseverance – comments Dr Andrzej Silczuk, psychiatrist.

Awareness is there but logistics can be an obstacle

High screen-time statistics do not mean a complete abandonment of various forms of exercise during the winter holidays. This does not change the fact that we engage in physical activity too rarely. Apart from the low percentage of children meeting the WHO recommendations (declared by one in five parents), this is also evidenced by the feelings of the respondents: 56% of surveyed parents admit that they usually end this period with the belief that there was too little exercise in the family.

If we plan any activities, these are primarily family outings for walks, to ice rinks, swimming pools or water parks. We are motivated by the desire to spend time together in a different way than we do every day, to disconnect from everyday duties and work, to care for our health and fitness, and to help our children release their energy.

What can help ensure that children are more active and that the whole family exercises, especially during the winter holidays? As many as 73% of parents mention sports facilities available in their area and 75% point out employer support in the form of benefits facilitating active spending time with children as helpful.

– As many as 78% of parents approach organising active family time during the winter holidays spontaneously. This approach is supported by solutions that facilitate access to many sports and recreational facilities, such as MultiSport cards, including the MultiSport Kids option. Over the last two winter seasons, we have noticed an increase in interest among cardholders in locally available activities that connect generations. In addition to playrooms, ice rinks, trampoline parks, climbing walls and bowling alleys are also extremely popular. This is an important signal that in the fight against digital overload, parents need real, simple options for everyday use: close to home, without long commutes and complicated logistics, with choices tailored to the child’s age and mood or even the weather. If such an alternative is at hand, it’s much easier to replace hours of scrolling with activity that gives children a “natural reset”: improves sleep, helps relieve tension, and builds a better mood. What is equally important, shared activities strengthen relationships and give parents the feeling that the winter holidays truly served their purpose – says Kinga Kołodziej, Customer Relations Director at Benefit Systems.

^{About the survey: The survey, commissioned by the MultiSport brand, was conducted on a representative random sample of 600 Poles aged 18+ who are parents of school-age children. The survey was conducted on 19–22 December on the nationwide Ariadna research panel, using the CAWI method.}

^{[1] WHO GUIDELINES ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEDENTARY BEHAVIOUR are available at: WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour: overview}

^{Benefit Systems has been a leader in the Polish non-financial benefits market for over 20 years and one of the most important players in the fitness industry in the region. For years, the company has been setting market development directions, creating modern solutions that support employee wellbeing and promote an active lifestyle. Benefit Systems’ flagship product is the MultiSport Programme – the most recognizable and most frequently chosen sports programme in Poland, providing access to thousands of sports and recreational facilities. The company’s strong portfolio is complemented by the MyBenefit cafeteria platform and the comprehensive Multi.Life wellbeing programme, creating a unique ecosystem of benefits for companies that care about their employees. Benefit Systems is also dynamically expanding its presence abroad. The company’s sports offer is available in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Turkey, which strengthens its position as one of the key providers of wellbeing services in Central and Eastern Europe. The group is also a major operator of fitness clubs in six markets, and in Poland it is responsible for well-known networks, including Fabryka Formy, FitFabric, Fitness Academy, My Fitness Place and Zdrofit. Benefit Systems’ mission is to inspire physical activity and care for health at every stage of life. That’s why the company runs numerous educational and health-promoting initiatives for children, adults, and seniors, including through the MultiSport Foundation. Its actions confirm that the role of a leader is not only about scale, but also about real social influence. Since 2018, Benefit Systems has been a member of the prestigious B Corp community, which brings together companies that adhere to the highest standards of responsibility and social involvement in their business. More information at benefitsystems.pl/en and biuroprasowe.benefitsystems.pl/releases/English.}