So many parents have shared their concerns, lately, about their children who are daily commuting to and from school regarding the weight of their backpacks. That is why, here in this article, I am going to discuss the dangers of your child’s heavy school backpack, and how to avoid them. The truth is, if such dangers are not addressed immediately, they may result in serious health issues.

Here are some of my findings:

1. While your child’s skeleton is still under development, their body is at an increased risk of physical harm than adults.

2. Carrying a heavy backpack to school may do your child harm in the short and long term.

3. The weight of the backpack should not exceed 10-20% of your child’s body weight at a maximum.

4. The heavy weight of their backpack may result in a decreased interest in going to school, which ultimately affects their attention levels.

5. If the backpack is carried on one shoulder, physical harm, especially in the back, may be doubled.

Therefore, the results of a backpack’s use may be more concerning than we think. The effects are divided into two parts:

1. Short-term Injuries:

   A couple of short-term effects include habitual bad posture, and fatigue, or pain, in the neck, back, and shoulders.

2. Long-term Injuries:

   The long-term effects include backaches, headaches, frequent muscle pain, hunched backs (bent forward), Scoliosis (backs bent sideways), damaged growth centers, and, even stunted bone growth in rare cases.

To avoid these concerning health issues, here are our suggestions and recommendations to ensure your child’s health is protected.

1. When purchasing their backpacks, make sure they have adjustable, padded straps.

2. Remove any unnecessary items that may add extra weight from your child’s backpack, daily.

3. Encourage your child to use their lockers at school to keep items they do not need at home.

4. And, if approved by the school administration, you may want to consider using one, multiple subject notebook, instead of separate notebooks for each subject.