The sun has just risen with the Bårdsen family at Laksevåg in Bergen when TV 2 visits them at the end of March.
– I’m going to ride a bike today, right? says Mats (15) to dad Karl Morten Bårdsen (50) over the breakfast table
Mats’ dad says that the cycling weather is extra nice this day, despite the fact that the thermometer still points towards blue. But that does not stop Mats from getting on the bike.
It seems that he is completely alone.
– BICYCLES: At the end of March, Mats Bårdsen was the only one from the junior high school at Holem school who cycled to school. The other students used electric scooters. Photo: Geir Johnny Huneide / TV 2
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The case of 15-year-old Mats was first mentioned in a debate post in the newspaper BT.
The scooter tempts
TV 2 follows Mats on a bicycle to Holen primary and lower secondary school in Bergen. The newly renovated school has good facilities – including a brand new bicycle parking that can accommodate up to 200 bicycles.
While Mats locks his bike with both pulse and a little cold fingers, several of his classmates whiz past us on electric scooters. Others come walking up the hill from the bus stop nearby.
– Very scary
– In my childhood, cycling was a regular way to get to and from school, but now it seems that there has been a change. I have a strong suspicion that it is about these electric scooters, because they did not exist before, says the dad to Mats.
– CYCLES ALONE: This is what it looked like when TV 2 visited Holen school at the end of March. Mats Bårdsen (15) was the only one who cycled to school. The other students used electric scooters. Photo: Vilde Roald / TV 2
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Several researchers agree with Mats’ father, and emphasize that the frightening development must be taken seriously.
– It is certainly not good that children and young people exchange walking or cycling. The body is created to be used, it MUST be used, despairs Jarle Berge.
He is a doctoral fellow at the Hospital in Vestfold, and researches morbid obesity and the effect of physical activity.
– SCARY: Researcher Jarle Berge states that today’s children and young people are in far less physical activity than they were before. This can have serious consequences. Photo: Aleksander Myklebust / TV 2
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The report HEVAS from 2020, which focuses on physical activity among children and young people between the ages of 11 and 15 in Europe, shows an unfortunate development: four out of five meetings does not the recommendation to be physically active for 60 minutes every day. And the statistics continue to plummet, the researcher states.
As far as TV 2 is aware, there is no reliable research that establishes that the electric scooter is to blame for children and young people being less physically active. Nevertheless, the researcher believes that the means of transportation is one of several clear scapegoats.
– It is both scary and alarming, says Berge.
Children get fatter
The health examinations Ung-HUNT4 and HUNT shows that less than 40 percent of Norwegian teenagers meet the national goals for daily physical activity. In addition, there has been an increase in the number of Norwegian young people struggling with obesity and overweight in recent years.
– When children and young people who are in little physical activity reach the age of 30, it can lead to a number of consequences which in the worst case can have a fatal outcome. So I am very shocked when I see the trend around society, Berge says to TV 2.
Do not black paint the electric scooter
According to the foundation Elektronikkbransjen, in 2019, 60,000 electric vehicles such as electric scooters, hoverboards and stand-up bicycles were sold to Norwegian consumers.
In two years, interest has exploded, and in 2021 it was estimated that sales figures for electric vehicles would reach 230,000.
TV 2 has been in contact with several young people who often take up the scooter. They think it is far more convenient to get to school on a scooter than to walk.
Vegar Rangul also believes that one should be careful about painting the electric scooter completely black.
– GREAT INTEREST: Interest in electric vehicles, such as scooters, has exploded in recent years. Several researchers, on the other hand, are concerned that their use may contribute to children and young people being passivated. Photo: Jil Yngland / NTB
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He is an associate professor at NTNU, and researches physical activity and health among the Norwegian population.
– We know that replacing the car with an electric scooter results in better physical activity. On the other hand, physical activity is significantly reduced in those who replace the regular bike with an electric bike, warns Rangul.
Parents must take responsibility
Jarle Berge, who researches morbid obesity and the effect of physical activity at the Hospital in Vestfold, now comes with a clear encouragement to parents.
Despite the fact that children and young people are in less physical activity today than they were before, the researcher believes that the trend can still be reversed – and with seemingly simple measures.
– It is important that parents are aware and that they reflect on the importance of the children using bones rather than using other means of transport to and from various activities, the researcher says.
Berge also reminds that parents set a good example for their children, and that children and young people observe and learn from the adults’ choices.
– If the adults use the bike or their legs instead of driving to work in the morning, it can have a good effect on the children. Then you transfer a habit to the children that they can take with them into adulthood, he says.
– It is easy, and is just about being aware.
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