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Article snippet: Comparatively speaking, young people in the United States and England do not move much. Studies indicate that most children reach their activity peak at about age 7 and become more sedentary throughout adolescence. Many parents probably hope that shiny new technologies, such as Fitbits and other physical-activity monitors, might inspire our children to become more active. But a recent study published in The American Journal of Health Education finds that the gadgets frequently have counterproductive impacts on young people’s attitudes about exercise and the capabilities of their own bodies. The new study, conducted by psychologists from Brunel University London and the University of Birmingham, involved 100 healthy boys and girls ages 13 and 14 from two middle schools in England. The schools were far apart geographically and socioeconomically, representing a broad cross section of adolescent society. The researchers began by interviewing the young people and asking them to fill out psychological questionnaires about how they felt about exercise and their fitness. Then the scientists gave everyone an activity monitor, which came preprogrammed with a goal of 10,000 steps each day. The users’ activities could be recorded on a “leader board” shared with friends, which would show who had been the most and least active. The teenagers were asked to use the monitors for two months, and then complete more questionnaires and participate in focus-group discussions. During t... Link to the full article to read more