Preview: Health-conscious Kids

Global – Tapping into Generation I, new apps and services are rethinking how to approach this demographic through incentives and habit-building techniques.

• With 33% of the UK’s 10–11-year-olds obese or overweight, according to the National Child Measurement Programme for England, preventative measures are needed at a younger age
• Nurturing the mind is paramount as rates of anxiety, stress and depression are on the rise among the young

Wellness is iterating itself through technology, such as Garmin’s activity tracker, which lets parents assign rewards based on activity. After completing a task, kids will receive virtual coins that can be used for agreed rewards, such as more tv time.

Headspace has also created a new app specifically designed to help children to become more mindful. The visual-first app offers a series of mindfulness exercises such as breathing exercises, visualisations and focus-based sessions customised for three age groups – five and under, 6–8 years and 9–12 years.