A mobile application to get 9 to 13 year olds moving (or how to fight screen by screen!)

The WIXX mobile application was created as part of a societal communication campaign orchestrated by the organization Québec en forme. By inviting pre-teens in Quebec to get active while having fun, this campaign aims to prevent a significant drop in physical activity around the age of 13 to 14 years old.

Fight screen by screen

It may seem paradoxical to use screens to promote physical activity when screen use is often synonymous with passive leisure. Several experts also identify the proliferation of screens in our lives as the main culprits of physical inactivity. However, it must be admitted that screens are so popular with young people that it becomes difficult if not unnecessary to ignore them.

This is why, if we want to reach young people who are insufficiently active, we must occupy the places where they are, that is to say everywhere except in the places of adoption of a physically active lifestyle. The use of the media and the Internet is therefore becoming necessary to reach the under-active preteens. Not to entertain them and keep them in front of the screen, but more to encourage them to use the screen to move. This is where comes in the WIXX application for Apple devices.

This is the very first Quebec mobile application that invites 9-13 year olds to get moving, while having fun! Based on the principle of gamification, it is presented as a game, the objective of which is to complete missions, which are active challenges divided into several stages. By completing the stages, the young person accumulates points, collects badges and increases their chances of winning WIXX prizes (t-shirt, caps, balls, etc.). To obtain his points, however, he must provide us with proof on video, photo or using a drawing, that he has carried out his mission. Everything happens in interaction with the website wixx.ca, where the young person creates their account and enters their data. The more he moves, the more points he collects and the more he can win.

The app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times since its launch in September 2014.

Quebec en forme special collaboration