According to the charity BackCare, growing numbers of children in the UK are developing irreversible back deformities because of the weight of the bags they carry to school.
(Pupils often have to carry bags filled with heavy books, laptops, sports kit and packed lunches, and their bag may weigh as much as 28 lbs. According to experts, children risk long-term and ultimately permanent damage if they regularly carry more than 15 per cent of their body weight over their shoulders and because children’s skeletons are still growing, carrying heavy bags can cause lasting damage.
The British newspaper, the Daily Mail, worked out that bags can weigh up to 2 stone, which they calculated as:-
Textbooks – 8lb 13oz
Laptop – 8lb 13oz
Lunchbox – 1lb 11oz
Bottle of water – 1lb 11oz
Exercise books – 1lb 1oz
Pencil case – 1lb 1oz
PE Kit – 1lb 1oz
Sports shoes – 1lb 1oz
Coat – 13oz
Diary – 9oz
Game console – 8oz
Mobile phone – 5oz
MP3 player – 5oz
Wallet and keys – 4oz
It’s a heavy load, but they seem to have forgotten the knives, drugs and guns (joking). Maybe we could put the textbooks and exercise books onto the laptop? Please!)