According to Dawn Skelton, adviser to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, today's children are far more sedentary than previous generations as they play less sport, are given too many lifts, and look at screens for hours on end.

Because of this, their bones may weaken and fracture earlier than usual – and their parents could end up as their carers.

Professor Skelton added: "Young people need to move and jump about for their bones to grow properly because they build the vast majority of their bones by the time they reach puberty. After the age of 15 it's not as easy to lay down bone, and growth slows significantly."



She has urged parents to enforce hourly screen breaks and to encourage children to be more active through walking and sport.

"If you haven't laid down a good baseline of bone, ageing will start happening much earlier and the slightest fall could lead to a fracture. Unless sedentary habits change, this generation could well end up with hip fractures in their 40s and 50s instead of their 70s and 80s."