As winter enters full force and residents in northern climates dream of warmer days to come, now is the time to make a plan for what to do once green grass and warm breezes return to thaw us out.
Unfortunately, while many people seemingly yearn for more temperate weather, the reality is that increasingly fewer and fewer people take advantage of getting outside. This is particularly true of kids and young people. Where past generations couldn’t stay in the house to save their life, now the next generation of youngsters can’t be forced off their screens for more than five minutes.
Technology is a double-edged sword. As CreativeHealthyFamily writes, the availability of tech advancements is everywhere – and often for the better in terms of ease – though always with a catch. They say:
Technology has undeniably made our lives easier. No one can argue that. However, for every benefit, there’s a drawback. Social media helps us stay connected…but sometimes those connections endanger our lives or mental health. Online banking helps us keep track of finances…but also puts our money at risk from hackers. Laptops make it easier to work from home…but often at the expense of our work/life balance.
The more we become disconnected from nature, the more pronounced harms are for people’s mental health and well being. This is the truest the younger folks are. Again, as CreativeHealthyFamily writes, kids are the most susceptible to the damaging effects of technology’s overuse.
The drawbacks, though, are even more extreme than they are with adults. Yep, even worse than losing all of our money to hackers- too much tech can rot our kids’ brains, and not just in the proverbial sense. Multiple studies show that excessive screen time actually changes the entire structure of our brains. It also damages our kids’ eyes, causes speech delays in very young children, and even interferes with overall development.
This summer, plan on pushing your kid outside and lock the door. Let them breathe the fresh air. Let them feel the sensation of grass on their bare feet. Let them get muddy. Let them relearn how to engage their creativity and not stay beholden to the text flickering image or video on their ubiquitous screens.
And while your kids are playing outside and reaping the innumerable benefits of both being there and away from their technology, the solitude would be a great chance to be reminded of the hidden agenda lurking around the corner from once-trusted medical sources.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently revised its recommendations for screen time, notably raising the limit it suggested for extended use. It did so not because any science changed, but because it wanted to be adaptive to a changing social order. You read that correctly; the foremost “authority” on the development of young people increased its screen time usage not because it’s best for kids, but because it couldn’t – or didn’t want to – fight the reality of tech abundance in our lives and homes.
The same medical community has also recently been put on blast by critics for its alarming response to childhood obesity. PBS wrote, “Children struggling with obesity should be evaluated and treated early and aggressively, including with medications for kids as young as 12 and surgery for those as young as 13, according to new guidelines released Monday.”
Rather than suggest a change in diet and lifestyle, the medical establishment is instead pushing drugs and bodily mutilations.
Don’t give into the changing narrative. You know what;’s best for kids. They need to play outside, as much as they can. Removed from screens and a sedentary lifestyle, you will be setting them up for a much healthier and happier adulthood.
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