Episode 85: Unplug to Connect

Unplug to Connect One of our core values at GAC is Unplugging to Connect. Why are we so passionate about the importance of getting off our screens and spending more time in face-to-face interactions? Because it&rsquo;s good for all of our well-being to improve the quality of our relationships and connection to our families, friends, and communities. We want our campers and staff to experience the positive difference it makes being in a screen-free environment, so that they are compelled to change their own screen habits. The big dream &ndash; the one that serves our vision of creating a happier world, is that we go out from our camp community and help bring positive collective action and change to how we all prioritize face-to-face connection outside of camp.&nbsp; There is now a lot of research-backed evidence about the negative impact excessive screen time is having on people across all generations. Excessive screen time is linked to negative impacts on mental and physical health, with children and teens particularly vulnerable. These impacts include increased anxiety and depression, sleep disturbances, obesity, and reduced cognitive function. The effects can also include behavioral problems, difficulty with social skills, and issues with academic performance. According to research by Jean Twenge (iGen: Why Today&rsquo;s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy &mdash; and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood): After 1&#8239;h/day of use, more hours of daily screen time were associated with lower psychological well-being, including less curiosity, lower self-control, more distractibility, more difficulty making friends, less emotional stability, being more difficult to care for, and inability to finish tasks. Among 14- to 17-year-olds, high users of screens (7+&#8239;h/day vs. low users of 1&#8239;h/day) were more than twice as likely to ever have been diagnosed with depression (RR 2.39, 95% CI 1.54, 3.70), ever diagnosed with anxiety (RR 2.26, CI 1.59, 3.22), treated by a mental health professional (RR 2.22, CI 1.62, 3.03) or have taken medication for a psychological or behavioral issue (RR 2.99, CI 1.94, 4.62) in the last 12&#8239;months. Moderate use of screens (4&#8239;h/day) was also associated with lower psychological well-being.Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study, Dr. Jean Twenge &rdquo;Play-based childhood has been replaced by a screen-based childhood and the outcomes of this experiment are a nightmare &ndash; least flourishing generation in history.&rdquo;Jonathan Haidt&nbsp; Jonathan Haidt&rsquo;s The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (2024) presents a compelling argument about the rise in youth anxiety and mental health issues, particularly in the United States and other Western countries. He shares the research about how a play-based childhood became replaced by a phone-based childhood and how detrimental the change has been for children&rsquo;s mental, physical, and social health.&nbsp; Around 2010&ndash;2015, most teens got smartphones and social media became central to their social lives. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are designed to be addictive and encourage social comparison, validation seeking, and fear of missing out (FOMO). Rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide have skyrocketed among teens&mdash;especially girls&mdash;since the early 2010s. Haidt links this surge directly to increased screen time, especially social media use. We all feel the difference in how smart phones seemed to have taken over all of our lives. There&rsquo;s now an eery quiet in places that used to be boisterous (school buses, school lunch/recess at schools where phones are allowed). Many of us notice the lack of eye contact and social connections in places where we used to have chats with strangers, such as while waiting in line for a coffee or passing someone on the sidewalk. Specific adverse effects of screen use on well-being include: Mental: social media makes it harder to focus / learn / work &ndash; read a book, solve a difficult problem Emotional: social media/screen time causing increased depression, anxiety Physical: screen time linked to less sleep, less physical activity, more obesity Social: isolation/loneliness, less practice with social skills leading to more relational challenges, in new/awkward situations, people all retreat to their phones, lessening the chance of connection Spiritual: Reduced ability to meditate/pray when attention fragmented Overall, the biggest issue with screen use is what we&rsquo;re NOT doing when we&rsquo;re spending hours on our phones and other screens. We&rsquo;re not: Spending time with friends Doing outdoor activites Participating in hobbies we enjoy / make us feel good The good news is that experimental studies show that reducing screen time leads to increased happiness and focus within weeks. That&rsquo;s where camp comes in. Benefits of Being Unplugged Gold Arrow Camp offers a unique experience &ndash; to be in a community and among people who are collectively unplugged. Time unplugged at camp gives campers and staff the unique opportunity to experience how good they feel when they&rsquo;re not stuck in the addictive cycle of phone-use caused by apps that use manipulative algorithms to keep their attention.&nbsp; At camp, we spend time that was once spent on screens on other things that improve well-being, including: Building Social Connections More face-to-face time in real-life relationships gives campers the opportunity to form deeper connections (REALationships) with the people they are with. They experience being present with people who are focused and attentive to them, not distracted by phones. Meals, campfires, walking time, and hang-out time are all opportunities for face-to-face connection. Getting Great Sleep We prioritize getting good sleep at GAC with our campers getting a minimum of 9 hours of in-bed time (our oldest campers lights out is 10pm and wake up time is around 7am). Not having screens around allows for great sleep. Discovering New Skills &amp; Hobbies In addition to learning and doing many fun recreational outdoor activities, campers learn card games, read, journal, play guitar, make friendship bracelets or other crafts, and make some new best friends&hellip;The opportunities for growth and discovery are endless when we&rsquo;re not distracted by screens! Campers experience improved focus and productivity and the ability to be present and get fully engaged with what they are doing in the moment. More Resources to Explore Books: Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults, Audrey Monke iGen: Why Today&rsquo;s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy &mdash; and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood, Jean Twenge The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt TED Talks: iGen: The Smartphone Generation | Jean Twenge | TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool Are Smartphones Ruining Childhood? | Jonathan Haidt | TED Other: Why We Need to Unplug to Connect with Our Families Surgeon general warning <path fill="#ffffff" fill-rule="evenodd" class="icon" d="M8 14H3.667C2.733 13.9 2 13.167 2 12.233V3.667A1.65 1.65 0 0 1 3.667 2h8.666A1.65 1.65 0 0 1 14 3.667v8.566c0 .934-.733 1.667-1.667 1.767H10v-3.967h1.3l.7-2.066h-2V6.933c0-.466.167-.9.867-.9H12v-1.8c.033 0-.933-.266-1.533-.266-1.267 0-2.434.7-2.467 2.133v1.867H6v2.066h2V14z"> Share <path d="M4.9 0H0L5.782 7.7098L0.315 14H2.17L6.6416 8.8557L10.5 14H15.4L9.3744 5.9654L14.56 0H12.705L8.5148 4.8202L4.9 0ZM11.2 12.6L2.8 1.4H4.2L12.6 12.6H11.2Z" fill="#fff"/>Post <path d="M29.449,14.662 C29.449,22.722 22.868,29.256 14.75,29.256 C6.632,29.256 0.051,22.722 0.051,14.662 C0.051,6.601 6.632,0.067 14.75, 0.067 C22.868,0.067 29.449,6.601 29.449,14.662" fill="#fff" stroke="#fff" stroke-width="1"><path d="M14.733,1.686 C7.516,1.686 1.665,7.495 1.665,14.662 C1.665,20.159 5.109,24.854 9.97,26.744 C9.856,25.718 9.753,24.143 10.016, 23.022 C10.253,22.01 11.548,16.572 11.548,16.572 C11.548,16.572 11.157,15.795 11.157,14.646 C11.157,12.842 12.211,11.495 13.522,11.495 C14.637, 11.495 15.175,12.326 15.175,13.323 C15.175,14.436 14.462,16.1 14.093,17.643 C13.785,18.935 14.745,19.988 16.028,19.988 C18.351,19.988 20.136, 17.556 20.136,14.046 C20.136,10.939 17.888,8.767 14.678,8.767 C10.959,8.767 8.777,11.536 8.777,14.398 C8.777,15.513 9.21,16.709 9.749,17.359 C9.856, 17.488 9.872,17.6 9.84,17.731 C9.741,18.141 9.52,19.023 9.477,19.203 C9.42,19.44 9.288,19.491 9.04,19.376 C7.408,18.622 6.387,16.252 6.387,14.349 C6.387, 10.256 9.383,6.497 15.022,6.497 C19.555,6.497 23.078,9.705 23.078,13.991 C23.078,18.463 20.239,22.062 16.297,22.062 C14.973,22.062 13.728,21.379 13.302, 20.572 C13.302,20.572 12.647,23.05 12.488,23.657 C12.193,24.784 11.396,26.196 10.863,27.058 C12.086,27.434 13.386,27.637 14.733,27.637 C21.95,27.637 27.801, 21.828 27.801,14.662 C27.801,7.495 21.95,1.686 14.733,1.686" fill="#bd081c"> Pinterest <path d="M-296.2,401.6c0-3.2,0-6.3,0-9.5h0.1c1,0,2,0,2.9,0c0.1,0,0.1,0,0.1,0.1c0,0.4,0,0.8,0,1.2 c0.1-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.3-0.4c0.5-0.7, 1.2-1,2.1-1.1c0.8-0.1,1.5,0,2.2,0.3c0.7,0.4,1.2,0.8,1.5,1.4c0.4,0.8,0.6,1.7,0.6,2.5 c0,1.8,0,3.6,0,5.4v0.1c-1.1,0-2.1,0-3.2,0c0-0.1, 0-0.1,0-0.2c0-1.6,0-3.2,0-4.8c0-0.4,0-0.8-0.2-1.2c-0.2-0.7-0.8-1-1.6-1 c-0.8,0.1-1.3,0.5-1.6,1.2c-0.1,0.2-0.1,0.5-0.1,0.8c0,1.7,0,3.4, 0,5.1c0,0.2,0,0.2-0.2,0.2c-1,0-1.9,0-2.9,0 C-296.1,401.6-296.2,401.6-296.2,401.6z"/><path d="M-298,401.6L-298,401.6c-1.1,0-2.1,0-3,0c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.1-0.1c0-3.1,0-6.1,0-9.2 c0-0.1,0-0.1,0.1-0.1c1,0,2,0,2.9, 0h0.1C-298,395.3-298,398.5-298,401.6z"/><path d="M-299.6,390.9c-0.7-0.1-1.2-0.3-1.6-0.8c-0.5-0.8-0.2-2.1,1-2.4c0.6-0.2,1.2-0.1,1.8,0.2 c0.5,0.4,0.7,0.9,0.6,1.5c-0.1,0.7-0.5,1.1-1.1, 1.3C-299.1,390.8-299.4,390.8-299.6,390.9L-299.6,390.9z"/>Share <path d="M-1214.1,1565.2v1l8,4l8-4v-1c0-0.7-0.6-1.3-1.3-1.3h-13.4C-1213.5,1563.9-1214.1,1564.4-1214.1, 1565.2z M-1214.1,1567.4v7.1c0,0.7,0.6,1.3,1.3,1.3h13.4c0.7,0,1.3-0.6,1.3-1.3v-7.1l-8,4L-1214.1,1567.4z"/> Email The post Episode 85: Unplug to Connect appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.