Adults often lament that their children aren't living the carefree outdoor lifestyle they remember from their childhood. Screen time has replaced free time, and parents are left scratching their heads regarding what to do about it. Many parents feel powerless as the number of hours kids spend on devices continues to grow.
Suppose you've watched the Netflix documentary Social Dilemma. In that case, you know many people expect big tech to take proactive steps to reduce the lure of social media and other platforms to encourage kids to go offline more often. However, there is one significant hurdle parents themselves can tackle to help kids get back to a more human-focused device-free lifestyle. That hurdle? It's the No-Other-Kids Outside problem.
What is the No-Other-Kids-Outside Problem?
Twenty years ago, most neighborhoods were brimming with kids on bikes running around with sticks. The kids played in packs, and the packs knew how to play spontaneous games or find mutually enjoyable activities for the group. As parents' and kids' schedules have gotten busier, pre-scheduled playdates orchestrated by parents have taken over. Any parent who dares send their kid outdoors unplanned is likely to be met with a child returning home complaining that no one else is outside and that the outdoors are boring. What's more, now that kids don't run around in multi-age packs, the chain of passing down childhood outdoor games has been broken. Even when multiple kids are outdoors, their ability to form spontaneous, mutually enjoyable activities is more complicated than in years past.
What can you do to help get kids offline more often and start reforming personal relationships with other kids in your area?
Bring Back Flexibility
Some aspects of our lives are immovable. For example, we don't set the soccer, baseball, or gymnastics schedule. However, there are many softer targets, such as when to serve dinner, complete chores, or go in for the evening. With more empathy and awareness of other families' habits, families could work together to align their free time.
Jumpstart the Fun
Many kids have sadly never played neighborhood kickball or freeze tag. However, most kids will happily join a group activity when presented with the chance. To jumpstart a group activity, sometimes parents have to lace up their sneakers and re-teach games that this generation of children has lost.
Invite Others
Over the past 5-10 years, the art of including people outside of immediate families fell out of favor. While some families still excel at including their children's friends in their activities, the majority of parents are still waiting on an invitation from others to join in. Choose to be an initiator and let other people with kids know when your kids are going outside. Being alerted that something fun is going on outdoors is often enough to jumpstart offline play.
Buy Double
Lastly, consider friend-friendly gifts for your children. For example, if you enjoy hitting a tennis ball back and forth with your child, add an extra racquet or two to your collection to ensure you always have room to expand your game when friends show up. The same might go for a remote control car or baseball glove. Having a friends-always-welcome mindset will make it easier for others to join when you are outdoors.
While it would be nice for big tech to take an active role in reducing screen time for children, the reality is that parents have much more immediate control over their kids' ability to go offline. We hope you'll consider trying these ways to help your kids go offline and connect with other kids in real life more often.
