The power of technology to keep us all connected is so important in today’s world. It provides access to education and entertainment while also allowing us to talk with our friends and family at distance. Although there are many great things our digital devices can help us with, too much screen time can negatively affect our health. It is imperative to create a healthy balance between time spent using digital devices and screen-free activities which can be difficult for even adults to do, nevertheless children and teens.
Today, the majority of American children spend five to eight hours per day in front of a screen and less than one hour per day outside. This unfavorably affects their sleep quality, attention span, and stress levels. Some parents look to put screen-time limitations on devices, but even at school kids have to use technology to complete assignments. For this reason, it’s important to combat the adverse effects of screen time by balancing it with screen-free activities outside of the classroom and home.
Promoting your child’s involvement in outside activities has shown to improve their general mood, attention span and memory, while also reducing symptoms such as lack of focus and over-stimulation. Playing outside allows your child to:
- release energy in a healthy way
- raise levels of serotonin production (our body’s natural anti-depressant)
- routinely soak in some Vitamin D.
- Learn interpersonal skills that can’t always be learned on a device such as collaborating with others.
Monitoring and limiting your child’s screen time will allow you to promote other non-digital activities, such as hiking, cooking together, playing board games, painting, or our personal favorite— sports. These types of screen-free activities can help build stronger family connections and allow for exploration of other interests while building positive self-identity. If you’re looking for easy ways to limit screen time, try to use outdoor activities as a reward or alternative to tablet time.
Here at First Tee, we support screen-free time by providing outdoor programs while teaching values that build character and inspire daily play away from technology. If you think tech-free time could benefit your family, consider registering your child for one of our First Tee programs with a chapter near you.