The health of high school students is steadily declining, as well as the physical activity in California largely due to the amount of cell phone usage.

The obesity rates have increased four percent in teenagers in the last 10 years according to The State of Obesity project. In California, the rate of obese high school students is 13.9% ranking California the 17th most obese amongst high schoolers in other states.

“More people are struggling with fitness testing now most likely due to social media,” Mrs. Pedrin said, physical education teacher at Woodside High School.

The government suggests everyone acquire at least one hour of exercise a day; however only 30.4% of high school students achieve this requirement.

When the Woodside World asked students attending Woodside High School how many hours they exercise a week, the answers varied between three and twenty. Students taking Physical Education receive three to four and a half hours of physical activity a week, and that is still not enough to reach the suggested amount of exercise.

“I do not think that the fitness test standards have changed, but I think the state needs to take it more seriously because of obesity,” Mrs. Pedrin says.

The increase of obesity in high school students may be due to the fact that so many teenagers would rather engage in social media then nature or the world around them.

“41.7% of U.S. high school students used a computer 3 or more hours daily (not for school) in 2015.” said The State of Obesity project.

Those asked responded that they would climb a tree or explore the outdoors during their free time by themselves, rather than workout. Years ago, however, before Netflix and Instagram, people played pickup games on the streets in their neighborhood and exercised a lot more.

Many students estimated that they spend around two to four hours each day on their phones.

“I think there will be long term issues due to phones,” Mrs. Pedrin told the Woodside World. “I think some people are addicted to the Internet.”