Recently, my 13 year old brother received his second phone, an iPhone 4s. I couldn't believe it, a 13 year old carrying some of the best technology in our world. Since then, my brother's free time to run outside has decreased significantly. His eyes and hands are glued to his iPhone 4. Finding him playing basketball or throwing a soccer ball in my backyard when I come home on the weekend has become less and less common. He's just one of thousands of children whose physical activity has suffered because of technology. Today, our society has given children the impression that without the latest technology, they are not “cool” or, even worse, poor. The children then beg their parents for updated technology in order to fit in. Face it, even adults these days need the latest technology to stay up to date in their work. The routine for most kids coming home from school is to eat, watch TV, see more food and video game ads, and continue the terrible habit they created. The desire to play outside or get involved with a team is less appealing than beating your Call of Duty record while getting a sugar rush. Our world creates an environment where playing Candy Crush is more popular than playing a sport. Thirty-two percent of children ages 2 to 19 are overweight and seventeen percent are considered obese (Hingle, Dale). The influence of media on young people shows a positive correlation with childhood obesity. Times have changed and due to this new technological era that we are living in, children are spoiled with different types as well as many electronic devices. Even if these advances are enriching, they are detrimental to young people. From Xbox to television, watching children spend more time cooped up in their homes, middle of paper......h high-calorie foods that influence young children in the decision-making process. Works Cited Hingle, Melanie and Dale Kunkel. “Childhood obesity and the media.” Pediatric Clinics of North America 59.3 (2012): 677. Print. Kunkel, Dale. “Media research contributes to the fight against childhood obesity.” Health Communication 25.6-7 (2010): 595-6. Print. Obama, Michele. “Remarks at the NAACP National Convention. » They say I say with readings. Ed. Gérald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russell Durst. 2nd ed. NY: WW Norton & Company Inc. 2012. 417-433 Print. Powell LM, Schermbeck RM, Szczypka G, Chaloupka FJ, Braunschweig CL. Trends in nutritional content of television food advertisements seen by children in the United States: analyzes by age, food categories and companies. Arch Pediatrician Adolesc Med. 2011;165(12):1078-1086. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.131.