“Green time over screen time” is a great quote we heard from Dr. Argie Allen on a Today Show special about how social media and smartphones negatively impact adolescents. Recently, two child-related national news stories caught our attention:
- The Today Show ran a one-hour special called “Kids in Crisis” about how kid/teen use of social media and smartphones negatively affect them.
- The New York Times ran an opinion article called: “This Simple Fix Could Help Anxious Kids” by Camilo Ortiz and Lenore Skenazy about how children have become less independent, and shares: “as kids’ freedom has been going down, their anxiety has been shooting up.”
We at Maine Camp Experience wanted to provide information about each of these pieces and share why Maine overnight camp is a good anecdote for these challenges.
- Social Media/The Today Show Special: The Impact of Screen Time
Children’s use of social media is causing great concern among parents, educators, and mental health experts. And, while social media can be good for connecting with friends, there are risks when it is overused or used improperly. The U.S. Surgeon General has shared that rates of depression, anxiety, suicide and loneliness are going up – social media is an important driver of that.
Findings have shown that social media is negatively impacting kids’ mental health as there’s an increase in adolescents feeling sad and disconnected. Experts are attributing more anxiety and panic attacks to an increase in screen time. Kids are vulnerable with their developing brains and are very affected and distracted by Likes and Follows. Experts are studying and reporting findings, including premature thinning of the cortex that processes information due to increased screen time.
Kids admit they are impressionable to what they see. They also admit that they’re staying up too late (until early morning hours) getting sucked into scrolling social media. It’s a big problem as they’re tired and can’t focus at school.
And while consuming too much social media can lead to low self esteem, body dysmorphia, and more, and being “targeted” by companies that run the platforms is a big problem, we also need to be aware of the life-threatening social media challenges and trends that kids may want to try, which can be fatal.
Stats Shared on Today:
- 95 percent of teens are using social media according to the Surgeon General
- 59% use devices from 12am-5am
- 46% are online “almost constantly”
- When asked about the impact of social media on body image, 46% of teens say social media makes them feel worse
- 49 percent of families say tech causes daily/weekly fights
- Teens receive 200+ notifications on their phones each day
- Nearly 70 percent say parenting is more difficult than 20 years – two of the top reasons why – technology and social media
- Teens who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media face double the risk for mental health issues like depression and anxiety
- Over half of teens say they spend over 4 hours a day on social media – on platforms like TikTok and Instagram
Some Solutions:
- “Green time over screen time” said Dr. Argie Allen – kids and teens need to spend time in a tech-free zone. Getting outside in nature is a good break.
- Unplug for 30 days – good for brains to take a rest
- Kids and teens need to know how to regulate their stress, play, move their bodies, and manage emotions
- Now companies are restricting sensitive content, can help set time limits, etc.
- Technology isn’t going anywhere, so parents need to know what their kids are viewing, have codes and access, guide the kids, have open dialog, and know danger signs
Experts about the topic who spoke during the special and who can be further read:
- Dr. Jenny Radesky, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School (@jennyradesky)
- Thomas Kersting Psychotherapist and author of Raising Healthy Teenagers and of Disconnected (tomkersting_)
- Catherine Pearlman, licensed Clinical Social Worker and author of First Phone and Ignore It! (@thefamilycoachsays)
- Larissa May, digital wellness activist and founder of “Half the Story” (@livinlikelarz; @halfthestory)
- Dr. Argie Allen – relationship therapist who helps families overcome challenges and author of – Courageous Conversations Connect (@askdrargie)
- Too Little Freedom/New York Times Piece:
Ortiz and Skenazy share their view that kids have less freedom and independence today than in the past which causes anxiety and renders them less confident and less capable of becoming resilient. They talk about how kids are overscheduled and overprotected and about the benefits of the Free-Range Kids movement and the Let Grow Project: “give kids their independence and watch them blossom.”
Their piece includes supporting articles, including:
- A February 2023 study by The Journal of Pediatrics – “Decline in Independent Activity as a Cause of Decline in Children’s Mental Wellbeing”
- EducationWeek’s “Student Well-Being: Kids’ Declining Mental Health is the ‘Crisis of Our Time’ “ by Caitlynn Peetz. Information about the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calling social media “a driving force behind the surge in children’s mental health challenges” and he “encouraged lawmakers to regulate how the platforms are marketed to and used by kids.” He also called the increase in mental health needs “the defining public health crisis of our time” and shared how an increase in social media use, and starting at a younger age, has led to “more feelings of isolation, stress, and inadequacy” plus “keeps kids awake well into the night when they should be getting much-needed rest and makes it harder for young people to focus.” He feels that “companies that own the platforms aren’t doing enough to address the damage they’re causing.”
How Camp Benefits Adolescents:
Overnight camp feels like a microcosm of what the world for kids used to be. Off screens and social media, kids connect with their peers and counselors. They learn to interact, make conversation, make eye contact, play games, and create and enjoy real-world experiences. Kids live in the moment as they participate and engage. They are part of a community and are not isolated. Their self-esteem and value is not based on how many Likes they get on a social media post, but can be felt in the real-world encouragement they get when peers clap for their performance in a camp play or scoring a goal on a field, or the self satisfaction they feel when they reach a goal like learning to waterski.
In addition to the real-world experiences and satisfaction campers get off of social media, they also benefit from time away from their parents. On their own (with guidance from camp directors and staff), campers grow tremendously. They learn to make friends. They navigate social situations. They learn the lay of the camp and time management as they get to activities on their schedule. They learn what they like as they try different things. They learn to set and achieve goals. They learn to advocate for what they want. They may experience setbacks and they learn how they can ______ (fill in the blank with – get to the next level swim group, climb to the top of the rock wall, play a better game of lacrosse or basketball, and the list goes on). Campers also learn to help others (for example, older campers will serve as big ‘brothers/sisters” for younger campers). They are given opportunities to be leaders.
Camp is such an incredible opportunity for growth that builds year after year. Skills learned at camp are skills children take into college, into the workplace, and use in life beyond. Skills and experiences acquired at camp are forever.
As mentioned earlier, we are not advocating for no social media ever – we use it to stay connected to the camp community throughout the school year when camp is not in session, and we use it to showcase the experience of going to camp. We are advocating for striking the right balance to use social media safely and that camp can really help children develop into confident, connected people.
Sources:
https://www.today.com/parents/family/kids-phones-expert-one-thing-rcna121130?search=Jenny%20Radesky
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/04/opinion/anxiety-depression-teens.html
Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools
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