Concerns regarding too-heavy children’s bags raisedBy Lai Hsiao-tung and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writerParents have raised concerns about the excessive weight of elementary-school students’ backpacks, saying children struggle to breathe under the strain. Backpacks should not be heavier than 15 percent of a child’s body weight, he said, adding that load tolerance varies per person. The increase in online learning resources powered by artificial intelligence has also helped in efforts to reduce backpack weight, he said. However, heavy bags are still common in schools, especially for shorter, young students, whose backpacks nearly match their body size, he added. He suggested that parents purchase lightweight backpacks, check their contents regularly and help their children organize their bags to foster responsibility, good habits and parent-child interaction.

Source: Taipei Times December 28, 2025 17:12 UTC