Beat the screen, Get outdoors!
With summer in full swing and kids out of school, its time to freshen up your list of activities for your family to do. Prioritizing time outside in nature should be on the top of your list! In this post I will discuss the health affects of both screen time and outdoor time on your family. So pull up your patio chair and let’s get started!
Do you know how much screen time your child gets?
It might be more than you thought or hoped. The most recent study on screen time (which was published in 2010!) found that in the 5 years prior to its publication, screen time per day for kids ages 8-18 had increased by 2 hours. This means that on average kids are getting 8.5 hours of screen time each day! And that's based on data from over 10 years ago. No doubt that the recent implications of a pandemic might have escalated this growing consumption of media. What’s more is that kids are often consuming more than one type of media at a time (i.e. watching a movie while being on social media).
What are the effects of screen time?
To better understand the overall impact of screen time on your child, let's break it down into mental/emotional, social, physical, and developmental aspects.
Mental and Emotional Health:
Documented effects on mental and emotional health include: Poor self image, depression, fear of missing out, decreased ability to relax without media, anxiety, immunity or numbness to violence.
Social Health:
One would like to think that social media could improve social health. On the contrary, screen time and social media use lead to less authentic connection with others, less family time, decrease ability to make positive social interactions, and also puts the individual at greater risk for cyberbullying.
Physical Health:
Spending large quantities of time in a digital “world” has serious effects on your physical body. Here are just a few: increased risk for obesity, decreased quality of sleep, changes to the eye structure leading to nearsightedness, increased risk for cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, and insulin resistance.
Development:
In a study from 2019 on 2-3 year old children, it was found that increased levels of screen time was associated with poor performance on developmental screening tests versus those who did not participate in screen time. Other studies have shown that higher screen time consumption is strongly correlated with poor performance in school and decreased reading ability.
What can outside play do for you and your family?
Okay so you get the point, kids get way more screen time than they ever need and the effects are not necessarily desirable. Let's discuss some of the health benefits of simply spending time outside in nature. This position paper on outdoor play references several articles on the benefits of outdoor play, but to make it easy for you, I will summarize a few of the key points.
Developmental
Kids who are given the opportunity to have unstructured play in nature have better motor skills. Nature presents unpredictable and unplanned opportunities. When kids play outdoors they learn to be adaptable both physically and mentally. They develop essential critical thinking skills and resilience that they can later apply to life.
Social
Have you ever seen a group of kids work together to roll over a big rock? Or have you watched children join forces to dig the biggest hole in the sand? When presented with new or unforeseen problems, kids develop social skills to accomplish a unified goal. It helps them learn leadership and cooperation.
Mental
One of the greatest benefits of unstructured outdoor play is risk. Kids who play outdoors and are exposed to risk learn risk management. This is the ability to minimize risk while still accomplishing their goal- whether it’s climbing that tree or jumping off that rock. This translates into huge gains as they become older. It empowers them to assess risky situations on their own and make the best decisions.
Physical
It might seem obvious that being outside has physical benefits but let's leave no stone left unturned. First, outdoor play leads to increased physical activity which improves muscle strength and reduces the risk for overweight or obesity. By reducing obesity this dramatically reduces risks for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, and many more. Second, sun exposure increases the body’s natural levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for bone health, immune function, mood stability, and more.
Conquer the screen with a plan
Like all good things in life it takes effort to make them happen. Let me give you a few ideas to get your creativity going. I hope this inspires you to get away from the screen and to help you reconnect with your kids, family, and community.
The great thing about the internet (yes you’ll have to engage in screen time here) is that there are so many websites and social media accounts already focused on getting kids outside. These links lead you to great resources in the southwest Idaho area. They share many of the best places to check out and visit. Similar types of websites or social media accounts are most likely available in your area if you're not in Idaho.
Ridge to Rivers trails for hiking and biking
What ever it is you decide do, just get out and have fun. You can even make this a goal for the whole family to spend a certain amount of time outside each season and then plan an outdoor trip as a reward for accomplishing that goal. See you outside!
