THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	116
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO REVIEW EXISTING RESEARCH ON CERTAIN IMPACTS OF SCREEN TIME AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS ON REDUCING SCREEN TIME AND INCREASING RATES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN HAWAII.

 

 

     WHEREAS, it is becoming increasingly common for the children of Hawaii, and the United States more generally, to be exposed to screens, including smartphones, tablets, computers, and televisions, for many hours every day at ever-younger ages; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2015, eighteen percent of middle school students and twenty-two percent of high school students reported playing from three to five hours per school day, on average, of video or computer games, or using a computer for something that was not school work; and

 

     WHEREAS, researchers from Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and elsewhere have found correlations between excessive screen time and obesity; and

 

     WHEREAS, twenty-five percent of youth ages ten to seventeen and fifty-eight percent of adults in Hawaii are overweight or obese; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2015, only twenty-seven percent of middle school students and twenty percent of high school students met the national guidelines of sixty or more minutes of physical activity per day; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Community Preventative Services Task Force recommends behavioral interventions to reduce recreational sedentary screen time among children ages thirteen and younger, including interventions focused on reducing screen time and increasing physical activity or improving diet; and

 

     WHEREAS, regular physical activity and healthy eating can play a significant role in promoting health and preventing chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Health's mission is to protect and improve the health and environment for all people in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Health currently works with agency and community partners statewide on strategies to reduce children's exposure to screen time and to encourage and create opportunities for children and adolescents to be physically active in Hawaii's schools and communities; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the Department of Health is requested to review the existing research on the impact of screen time and media consumption on childhood and adolescent physical activity, nutrition, and obesity, as well as policies other states and countries have implemented to address this issue; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report is requested to include:

 

     (1)  The key points from existing research on the effects of screen time on children and adolescents' physical activity, nutrition, and obesity, as well as the overall assessment of the importance and urgency of this issue;

 

     (2)  A list of policies other states and countries have instituted, including but not limited to public health campaigns, environmental changes, and an assessment of their appropriateness for Hawaii, as well as any novel policy ideas; and

 

     (3)  A summary of findings and recommendations from a future convening of nutrition and physical activity stakeholders, including the American Academy of Pediatrics Hawaii Chapter, Hawaii Children's Action Network, parents, educators, and educational institutions, to discuss national recommendations for screen time and to address what is being done to reduce screen time, and to improve physical activity and nutrition for children and adolescents in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

Report Title: 

Screen Time and Media Consumption; Children's and Adolescents' Health; DOH