- By Shailvee Tiwari
- Wed, 07 Jan 2026 05:06 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Viral Post: A worried father from Maharashtra has started an important conversation about a problem many parents silently notice but rarely question: the heavy school bags carried by small children every day. Balu Gorade, a resident of Sambhajinagar, took to X to share his concern after checking the weight of his young son’s school bag. His six-year-old son studies in Class 1 and weighs 21 kg, but the bag he carries, along with his tiffin, weighs a shocking 4.5 kg. This, he pointed out, is far more than what is advised for children of that age.
In his post, Gorade clearly mentioned that school guidelines say a child’s bag should be less than 10 per cent of their body weight. Sharing a picture of the bag and lunchbox placed on a weighing scale, he asked parents a simple but powerful question: "My son is in 1st standard and weighs 21 kg. He carries a 4.5 kg load (bag + tiffin), while the rule says it should be under 10% of body weight."
He also added, "I have raised this multiple times with the school. Have you ever checked your child's school bag weight?"
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Watch The Viral Post:
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(Image credits: X)
The post quickly caught attention online and struck a chord with many parents. Several users shared similar experiences and expressed concern over how such heavy loads could affect young children’s health. "While attempting to weigh my daughter's (8th std) school bag, the scale was damaged by the heavy load," a user wrote. "Many schools now provide a locker, also there are bags with wheels. Can’t change the system without a revolution," a second user wrote.
"Now there are 3-4 books for every subject. Instead of reducing school bag weight, schools are increasing the weight by asking for more books and increasing book prices," wrote a third user. "This is such a common problem, yet hardly taken seriously. We worry about kids’ screen time and diet, but ignore the daily physical strain we put on their tiny backs," added a fourth user.
However, the post, after going viral, was deleted by the owner. What started as one father’s worry soon turned into a larger discussion on whether schools are doing enough to protect children from unnecessary physical strain.