New study finds alarming trends in teen health, from exercise to diet and screen time

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When a cheeseburger costs less than a box of strawberries, it is no surprise that teenagers are reaching more for fast food than fresh fruit.

But a new study led by the University of South Australia warns that it is not just diet causing concern. Teens are increasingly caught in a cycle of unhealthy lifestyle habits that could have long-term effects on their health.

The study, which analysed data from more than 293,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 across 73 countries and five World Health Organization regions, found alarming trends in teenage behaviour:

Taken together, more than 92.5 per cent of teenagers had two or more unhealthy behaviours, placing them at greater risk of developing chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and poor mental health in adulthood.

In fact, only a tiny fraction – less than 1 per cent – reported no unhealthy behaviours at all.

The study found about 32 per cent of teens spent too much time on screens. Photo: Shutterstock

The clustering effect

Researchers described this as a “clustering of unhealthy habits”, where teens are not just struggling with one risk factor, but often two, three or more. According to the study:

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