Indoor and In Danger

Why Today’s Indoor Lifestyle is Harming Children

Written by Blair Koster
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[dropcap]Kids are losing contact with nature. With today’s high-paced life, plugged-in lifestyle, and families’ often frenetic schedules, many children are more familiar with the electronic “tweet” than the tweet of a bird in the backyard. In his seminal book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (2005), child advocacy expert Richard Louv links the lack of nature in children’s lives to depression, obesity, attention deficit disorder, anxiety and stress. He coins the term “nature-deficit disorder” to describe the malady of today’s children: a loss of contact with the natural world.[/dropcap]

Sixty minutes of daily unstructured free play is essential to children’s physical and mental health.

According to a recent executive summary by the National Wildlife Foundation (NWF), children are indoors more than their parents were, “with only a quarter of children playing outside daily as compared to nearly three quarters a generation ago, even in rural areas.” They also spend only four to seven minutes a day in unstructured play, such as climbing trees, playing a game of catch or chasing fireflies. Yet, according to the NWF, children spend more than seven hours each day in front of electronic media. Even preschoolers log an excess of 32 hours per week of TV, notes the Nielsen Company. Perhaps the fourth grader’s comment in Louv’s book is even more startling: “I like to play indoors better ‘cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.”

Louv notes in his book that with the emphasis on standardized testing and technology in schools, recess has, in many cases, been eliminated. There has been a surge in children being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now estimates that 4.5 million children aged five to 17 years have been diagnosed with ADHD. 

While not a cure, Louv believes exposure to natural settings may be widely effective in reducing ADHD symptoms in children. Researchers at the University of Illinois surveyed parents of more than 400 boys and girls diagnosed with ADHD about their children’s performance in a wide range of activities, both indoors and in natural settings, such as a park. The outdoor activities consistently received more positive ratings. 

According to Diane Berard, president of the Peninsula Pathfinders, a walking and outdoor club in Hampton Roads, “Being outdoors and moving fights obesity and other diseases. This carries over into adult life. Going outside also stimulates children’s creative imagination, reduces stress and allows children to relax. Everything is not so programmed. Children are also learning about nature and the environment.”  

Carrie Kerr, a licensed clinical social worker in Richmond, says, “In this digital age, it is important for children to experience real connections—with nature, with others. This enhances children’s self-worth and represents good, old-fashioned fun.”

According to the NWF, play protects children’s emotional development, letting kids be kids. Being outdoors, says the NWF, helps create compassion and improves social bonds. In addition, playing outdoors encourages creativity, helps to keep children at a healthy weight, increases their cognitive ability and problem-solving skills, and helps children stay calm. 

Peggy Singlemann, Maymont’s director of horticulture in Richmond, cites Maymont as an excellent example of a city park that provides the opportunity for children to get in touch with nature. Perhaps it could be a model for many more parks like it. 

“I’m overjoyed when I see a family engaging with goats, foxes, bobcats…” she says. “I love it when I see kids rolling down the hill, their body taken by gravity, connecting with the ground and grass. They start seeing plants, grass, insects and more.”