Several hundred schools, from Bellevue, WA, to Tarpon Springs, FL, allow pupils to carry backpacks to and from schools, but the gear must remain in their lockers during school hours. The restrictions are mostly for elementary and middle schools. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children carry no more than 10 to 20 percent of their own body weight and that bags should typically weigh less than 15 pounds. For your typical boy or girl, it creates off-balance back pain, but the jury is still out on what these kids will look like in the years to come. Backpack Safety America's network of chiropractors has given lectures to schoolchildren nationwide.
Some parents buy backpacks with wheels that resemble luggage.