Lately, much has been written about the negative impact that screens and internet access are having on children and adolescents. One of the biggest problems for their development is precisely what they stop doing while in front of a screen: playing with real kids in the real world.
In other words, the most effective antidote to excessive screen time is what children have done for generations: playing outside spontaneously, improvising games, and learning to organize and understand each other.
The Trap of Modern Life
Today’s over-scheduled life and parents’ own dependence on their devices can lead us to automatically turn to screens as a source of entertainment for our children. As a result, the time children spend playing with others is increasingly scarce. This dynamic may seem harmless at first and can even appear to make life at home easier in the short term.
However, it is a trap for both children and parents. Studies are already showing the damage it causes to child and adolescent development. The older the child, the more difficult it is to correct the problem. Let’s be honest: it is the parents, not the children, who have the power to prevent and reverse this situation.
The Need to Play to Learn
In his book, The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt explains the importance of unstructured play. He argues that evolution has given us the motivation to play because that’s how learning becomes easy and natural.
Playing allows children to repeat basic skills in a low-risk environment, where they experiment and receive feedback from both success and failure. This type of play is vital for them to develop social, cognitive, and emotional skills.
I believe that recognizing the benefits of free play is both liberating and encouraging. I trust that this will inspire many parents this summer to promote more playtime among their children, whether in the backyard, the park, the pool, or the beach.
Let kids be kids!
Happy Summer! Pepa