You may have noticed that use of electronics has been on the rise. What you might not have noticed is that how much children use electronics is pretty staggering. On average, American children and adolescents spend more than 7.5 hours each day using an electronic device. A multi-year study of 50,000 high schoolers. led by noted author/researcher Jean Twenge, showed unequivocally that the happiest kids use electronic devices less than an hour per day, and that teens who spend more time in face-to-face, in-person interaction with friends are happiest.

There is actually an inverse relationship between happiness and time spent on screens for our children. So how and where can we distract our kids from their screens while giving them the best opportunities to grow into good people and contributing members of society? Send them to camp, of course!

At EKC, it is our desire to encourage campers to more fully engage in relationships, activities and the beauty of their surroundings, and therefore we have a screen-free policy that allows campers to truly “unplug.”

While a few weeks at camp is not the only answer to the growing screen addiction problem, camp can be a great break for our kids.  Breathing fresh air, connecting face-to-face and not worrying about the “likes,” and what they might be missing, allows kids to relax, be themselves and enjoy what’s right in front of them.

Camp is one of the few places throughout the year where kids can truly unplug.  It is the perfect antidote to this major problem in our society.  To learn more about how camp can help combat too much screen time, I would encourage you to read this insightful parent blog from the American Camp Association.

Understanding how the world of electronics and social media impacts our children isn’t easy and is a still evolving and emerging topic.  Please join us on Sunday, April 28, from 4 to 6 pm at the JCC in Squirrel Hill, for “A Community Conversation on Teen Mental Health” with Jean Twenge, who will present more of her research findings.  Twenge is a professor and author of, “IGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.”  She will speak about the mental health effects on teens being addicted to their smart phones and social media.  Jean has also been featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NPR and many other media outlets speaking on this topic.  Following Jean’s talk, we will have a panel discussion with local community mental health experts and a teen who struggled with mental health as a result of social media and smart phone use.   This topic is so relevant as it demonstrates the necessity and benefits of EKC’s screen-free policy.  I hope each of you will be able to join us for this important conversation.

Need to start helping your child prepare to be screen free at camp?  Check out these helpful tips on some behaviors and practices you can start implementing now.   In the meantime, we can’t wait to get to EKC to reconnect, unplug and relish in the simple joys of camp.

–Rachael Speck, EKC Associate Director