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Biophilia: Stop Reading This And Go Outside

Biophilia: Stop Reading This And Go Outside

It seems like every morning, I’m being recommended readings on children, youth and anxiety. And I guess I’m not surprised to see so much research now about the links between smartphone use, anxiety and depression in our youth. My daughter (and avid smartphone aficionado) and I have good breakfast conversations about the other factors that may be a part of this phenomenon (standardized testing, parents’ technology use, media influences, etc.) but I think we need at least to examine whether our dependency on technology may at least be a part of the problem.

What’s the chicken and what’s the egg? Are children spending more time indoors because they’re too connected to their screens? Or are children too connected to their screens because we’re not telling them to go outside? We can leave the debate for another day. Whichever comes first, good research on children’s development, family cohesion and anxiety suggests that we – not just our children, but all of us- need to spend more time outside. Here are some reasons why:

The opportunities are as varied as your own community. And while some may require some planning (don’t go camping without thinking ahead!) you shouldn’t keep yourself from being outdoors with your children just because you haven’t planned anything special. Take a walk at your child’s pace. Ask your teenager to go on a hike with you and practice your listening skills. Hike with a friend. Walk to the grocery by yourself. We need the outdoors, both because it’s a benefit to our children’s development and because it’s a human need for adults as well. Go on and log off. I promise… the screen will be waiting for you when you return.

This article first appeared on Montessori Daoshi.

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