Recently at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, researchers gathered 350 students to take an online survey. The survey questioned the time the students spend on social network sites and the time they do physical activities. This study proposed that the more time students spend on Facebook, Twitter, and other networks, the more prone they are to weight gain.
The results showed that the students spend an average of 1 hour each day on a social network. Only a third of those tested participated in sports and were “highly active.” Close to half were “moderately active”, and the rest were documented “low physical activity.” After all the data was collected, researchers found that the time students spent on Facebook and Twitter replaced a portion of the time they could be exercising. Sophomore Taylor Shields says, “ I spend around 4 hours (on a social network), I guess, but it doesn’t affect the time I do physical activities.”
Researchers also discovered that the students that enjoyed Facebook had a lesser chance to participate in a team sport.