Joe Wicks partners with government for children's activity animated series
Fitness coach Joe Wicks collaborated with the UK government to launch an animated series aimed at encouraging children to stay active during the summer holidays.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Fitness coach Joe Wicks has teamed up with the UK government to launch an animated series aimed at keeping children active during the summer holidays. The series, called Activate, was a familiar feature during lockdown when schools were closed. Now the health secretary has backed the release of more episodes, with the latest themed around the World Cup.
Government research cited in the report found that nine in ten parents worry their children will be too inactive over the summer break, and less than a fifth believe their children will manage the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day. The initiative is designed to address rising childhood obesity and encourage families to build regular movement into their daily routines.
Joe Wicks said: "Children that are active have better mental health, more energy, you know less stress and anxiety in their body so there's so many benefits to just regular daily movement." He added: "We know that childhood obesity is on the rise and it's really concerning but if kids can build this into their lives and their families and help the kids build into their lives over the summer it keeps kids active."
The report also featured children at a tennis club who expressed enthusiasm for sports over screen time, with one saying: "If you always watch TV and sit on the sofa no training then in the end you're going to become fat." The club's mission, as described, is to get kids away from screens and onto the court, building confidence and skills.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| Government research found that nine in ten parents worry their children will be too inactive during the summer holidays and less than a fifth think they will achieve 60 minutes of physical activity a day. | |
| The health secretary has backed Joe Wicks to release more episodes of his animated Activate series. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV Lunchtime News framed the story around parental concerns about inactivity during the summer holidays, using local children's voices from a tennis club to illustrate the benefits of physical activity. The tone was supportive of the government's partnership with Joe Wicks, highlighting his role as a familiar figure from lockdown. The report also briefly mentioned separate government plans for a social media curfew, but the main focus remained on the animated series.
- “It's important for kids to do sports because it's good exercise. If you always watch TV and sit on the sofa no training then in the end you're going to become fat.”
- “Our mission is to get kids away from the screen and on the court and playing and feeling confident and developing skills and just feeling better about themselves.”
- “So children that are active have better mental health, more energy, you know less stress and anxiety in their body so there's so many benefits to just regular daily movement.”
Broadcast Timeline
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