Are backpacks kids carrying on a daily basis too heavy? Are they causing early signs of back problems in kids? As teachers are giving students more homework and big books to study out of, it is making their backpacks heavier and harder to carry around.

This could be leading to kids having back problems at a young age. According to kidshealth.org, a website about students and backpacks safety, “some kids are having backaches because they are lugging around their entire lockers worth of books, school supplies, and assorted personal items all day long.”

Doctors and physical therapists say that students carry only about 10 to 15 percent of the students body weight when carrying their backpacks. Most students carry their backpacks on one shoulder instead of both which causes back problems in students. “Kids who carry their backpack over [one shoulder] – as many do, because they think it looks better or just feels easier may end up leaning to one side to offset the extra weight,” Kids’ Health said.

Some teachers will give students lots of textbooks to take home which adds to the weight of a person’s backpack and any extra binders a student might need also adds to the weight the bag they are carrying around. “ I usually have around two to three textbooks, three binders, two books, and I don’t use my locker either,” freshman Katie Nguyen said.