document: Are Some Kids Overscheduled ? Experts debate pros , cons of highly programmed childhood THURSDAY , March 31 -LRB- HealthDay News -RRB- - From sports practices to music lessons to community service , American kids always seem to have plenty to keep them busy . But whether they 're actually too busy - reaching a tipping point detrimental to their mental and physical health - remains a topic of debate . The subject of overscheduled children has been on scientists ' radar for at least a decade , said Andrea Mata , a doctoral student at Kent State University whose recent study on highly involved children was scheduled for presentation Thursday at a symposium in Montreal run by the Society for Research in Child Development . '' `` I think it 's a hot topic right now , '' '' Mata said . '' `` There 's definitely a mix of viewpoints . So I think a lot more research is needed to find out what 's going on . '' '' The SRCD symposium will examine which children and adolescents become overscheduled , what happens at high levels of extracurricular involvement , and how factors such as school grades and aggression levels are affected . Between 70 percent and 83 percent of American children and teens claim to take part in at least one extracurricular pursuit , spending an average of five to nine hours per week in structured activities , according to the SRCD . Only 5 percent to 7 percent , however , devote more than 20 hours per week to these activities . Jean Twenge , author of the book Generation Me and a professor of psychology at San Diego State University , said data gathered between the 1950s and the 1990s indicated overscheduling rose during that period and then leveled off . '' `` Are kids really overscheduled ? It 's not the average experience , but that does n't mean it 's not a problem , '' '' Twenge said . '' `` Parents worry about keeping up , but it 's certain types of parents who worry about it . '' '' Twenge said the ever-mounting competition for admission to the nation 's top colleges compels some parents and kids to fill every spare hour with impressive-looking endeavors . Mata 's study followed 1,354 children from birth through age 15 , dividing them into groups based on how involved they were outside of school and home . The 43 children in the highest activity level averaged 129 minutes per week of structured activities at kindergarten , which increased to 254 minutes weekly by fifth grade . Highly involved children were more likely to be girls from more affluent families , Mata said , and their mothers had attained higher education levels . This group had higher grades and lower levels of delinquency , among other behavioral and academic measurements , compared to less-involved children , she said . '' `` We 're looking at it in a much more positive way , '' '' Mata said . '' `` These highly involved kids are highly adaptive and high-functioning . '' '' Linda Balog , former executive director of the Child and Adolescent Stress Management Institute at State University of New York at Brockport , said parents should ask their children how they feel about their extracurricular pursuits and whether they feel overwhelmed and stressed . '' `` We see some kids forced into organized sports at early ages and then get so burned out that they opt not to play in high school , '' '' said Balog , an associate professor of health sciences who 's teaching a course on child and adolescent stress . '' `` Sometimes parents live through their children - a sort of surrogate self , '' '' she added . '' `` I think we have to err on the side of backing off a bit ... as opposed to everything being organized and structured . '' '' Experts note that research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal .
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