Nature is an Antidote for Screen Obsession
Smart phones and tablets have been around for just over a decade. In these short years they have become an addiction for adults and children alike. Short term studies over the past decades have shown that adolescents who are heavy users of tech have heightened risks for depression, anxiety, and, in extreme cases, suicide. We will not know long-term effects for some time, but these short term ones gives us a grim idea.
An object that is addicting to the child, while simultaneously providing an unparalleled level of peace and quiet for the parent, is in danger of being used excessively and thus gravely affecting child development. Today, there are multitudes of apps for the toddler audience and the average age a child gets their first phone is 10. A 2015 study by Common Sense Media, a research group that studies technology use, found that more than half of teenagers spent upward of four hours a day looking at screens, and that for a quarter of teenagers, the figure was more than eight hours. In another survey, in 2016, half the teenagers said they felt addicted to their mobile devices.
The good news is that there are strategies to turn this around and they often work quickly.
Antidote 1
Get rid of screens all together or wait to buy them in the first place. This is a strategy many parents are adopting. Learn more from the Wait Until 8th movement. Other parents say this simply isn’t an option. Screens have become all pervasive. Getting rid of screens doesn’t have to be an all or nothing thing. It could look like: Screen-Free Sunday’s, Screen-Free dinners, Screen-Free car rides, Screen-Free evenings, Screen-Free Family Hikes, etc.
Antidote 2
Say yes to screen time strategically. Use the desire children have to use screens advantageously. In doing so you can help bring balance.
* Yes, you may have screen time after you’ve spent 30 minutes on each of the following things: reading, creative activity (baking, sewing, cooking, drawing), exercise, time outside, and household chores. Use a little kitchen timer and make a checklist on a sheet of paper. If you laminate it your child can mark things off as they go with a dry erase marker and then reuse the checklist day after day.
*Yes, you may have as many minutes of screen time as you spend outside (this is basically our mission here at 1000 Hours Outside ).
*Yes, you may have screen time during such-and-such time of the day. Give it boundaries, something like between 4:30 and 5:30 every afternoon.
*Yes, you may have screen time using any of these apps/websites that are safe for children.
Antidote 3
Offer something better. I think we have to be honest and admit that when screens are close by there aren't many things that seems better. I can be sitting right next to the most excellent book, one that has drawn me in chapter by chapter, but if my phone is also nearby there is a powerful pull to forgo the book and instead, scroll and refresh. When we offer something better we are not only limiting screen time we are also teaching our children invaluable lessons - that the world is rich, that relationships are sweet, and that experiences lodge deep within us, shaping the very people that we are.
I suggest time in nature as the better choice for many reasons.
First, everyone can participate when you go outside because nature engages all ages. Babies sleep wonderfully in the fresh air. Toddlers and school-aged kids become engrossed. Teens sometimes need a little more prodding so take time to figure out what interests them. Is it kicking back with a good book in a hammock? Fly fishing? Swimming? Mountain biking? Hiking? Camping? Building a fire? Kayaking? Rollerblading? Skateboarding?
The second reason nature is a better option is because you still get those moments of peace and quiet but instead of all the detriments of screen time, there are enumerable developmental benefits for your children to be outside. I always joke that whenever I am outside with my kids I hardly see their faces. I see the tops of their heads as they bend down to explore the earth and the see their backs as the run like the wind.
Finally, you hit it all when you head out the door: Relationship strengthening, memory building, and full on engaging with life.
Best of all, so much of nature is free. You won’t lose a thing to try it out!
