My youngest is 11. For a while he was in a bit of a slump - finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning for school, always bored and whingey. The only thing that got him excited was football. He loves it, but even then he wasn't taking the initiative to go to the park with his mates for a kick around, or just going into the garden by himself. This wasn't normal for him, so we put it down to hormones and tried to work through it with him. 

Then we started watching a programme about kids in a football academy. It’s where a football club scouts kids in their community, as young as seven and train them. As the kids get older it (11, 12), it gets more serious because there’s a clear route to turning pro. Even though the club is very clear 99% won’t make it, being in the club environment three or four times a week has an impact on the kids. They’re all committed. They all work hard. They are all super motivated. 

One morning I went into my son’s room to rouse him. It was 7:10, his alarm goes off at 6:45 and he has to be out of the house for school at 7:55. I’d left it a bit late. His room was dark, a bundle in the middle of the bed. I assumed he’d turned his alarm off and gone back to sleep, as was his way. But he wasn’t there. He was dressed, downstairs eating his breakfast. He’s been like this every day since. And he’s started going to the park by himself to train, doing little drills in the garden and taking his mid-week training and weekend matches more seriously.

Turns out screen time can have a profoundly positive effect.