The heavy, lagging weight of a backpack often causes long-term health issues and back pain for students.
Asides from notebooks and binders, students also have to carry pencils, pens, and spare paper.
And let’s not forget that many students bring lunch from home.
The weight all adds up.
The average high school student’s backpack weights between ten and twenty-five pounds, while the average laptop weights between three and eight pounds.
A study conducted by Brandon Macias of UCSD’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery concluded that students often carry backpack loads of twenty-two percent of their body weight when it is only recommended to carry fifteen at most.
Occupational and environmental health expert Kevin Slates says that “A load of books or materials distributed improperly or unevenly, day after day, is indeed going to cause stress to a growing spinal column and back.”