> The only people they know how to talk to are their parents.

I believe it. This gets brought up often here, but when you drive through residential neighborhoods you don't see kids playing or travelling to their friend's houses anymore. Either people are having way fewer kids or they aren't allowed to do things autonomously anymore. This undoubtedly correlates with rising obesity. But instead of blaming lack of play, they blame junk food.

I recently drove past a middle school (12-14 yo) and shuddered at the sight of each child walking straight from the door to their parents car, one at a time, like prisoners. When that car pulled away the next car stopped at the same spot before the next child was dismissed. Just a few years prior, all kids were released simultaneously.

I think this is eroding our society.

No, it's sadly a complete lack of kid autonomy around me. Kids aren't afforded any independence around here until mid-teens (15+). I think walking more than a few doors down is absolutely out of the question for most kids these days.

More and more kids are driven to school each day. The school bus was another socialization place for kids that is gone.

The great thing about science by gut feel is you can choose which contradictions you like. In a fitness thread, it's "abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym". But in a parenting thread it's "fat is burned in the street, not the diet"

I'm not saying junk food is good for kids. But kids are growing and their bodies change much more rapidly than adults'. If they slam a liter of soda a day they can still burn those calories off by riding their bikes or playing soccer for 2 hours after school (unlike an adult, they have both the time and energy to do so). They can't burn those calories off by streaming CS:GO on Twitch for 4 hours.

So you're falsely equating an adult's fitness regimen with a child's (kids don't care about showing their abs).