The Internet is not making teenage girls fat

I was in a presentation yesterday where this study was cited: Internet blamed for weight gain in teenage girls:

A U.S. study has identified Internet use, sleep, alcohol and coffee consumption as contributing factors to weight gain in adolescent girls.

I want to take a moment and refute these conclusions. Last I heard, obesity was caused by consuming more calories than you expend. I might also remind that correlation does not imply causation.

I'm guessing that I wouldn't have to look too far to find a study correlating obesity with hours of television watched. Before that, I'm sure I could find a study saying that automobiles were the cause. I'm pretty sure we could blame it on Gutenberg as well-- those pesky books making us all fat.

If we want people to be more healthy I think we should encourage them to exercise more and eat sensibly. I'd prefer the Internet be left out of the discussion as it is irrelevant.