Amelia Stuart's 2fer Revision

As more and more children come into the world screens and keyboards are thrust into their hands. It is familiar to them because they see their friends or their parents using them. Something else to consider is social media and the effect it has on teenagers lives, as they open their laptops and close their doors.  Today's young people are growing up disconnected from nature by spending so much time in front of a screen, therefore in the future they will value the natural world less than any prior generation.

There are multiple opinions on this topic, some supporting the idea of active technology in childrens lives, others saying it is time to limit the time we spend glued to the glowing screens. It is not hard to find a child on the couch watching a movie instead of running outside and enjoying the fresh air. The neglection of nature will follow them into their adults lives, and impact how they will see the world compared to their parents or grandparents. They will value nature less in their adult lives, and these are our future politicians, business owners, teachers.

A study done by a New York University found that 55% of 12 year olds were registered on Facebook , while a survey of children in Britain concluded at 34%. Another study was done by The Kaiser Foundation, a US welfare institute, the study found that children as young as eight spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes on the screen every day.  The distraction implicated by social media and television are majorly involved in the disconnection from nature, for everyone, not just children.

Adults are using their screens for everyday activities mainly their jobs, however it is not just children who are becoming disconnected. In fact it is not right to blame children for the large presence of technology in their lives, children see their parents texting during dinner or spending nights in front of the television they’re going to do the same.

Some schools are to give out laptops, others give out iPads, and smartboards replace chalkboards. This is not a bad thing, in fact it could make the lives of teachers easier, but if students are spending so much of their free time and their school or work time what happens when the screen is taken away? The Pali institute, an outdoor education camp for public school children and Children's Digital Media Center @LA at UCLA found a group of approximately 100 6th graders over a period of five days. They all had absolutely no access to screens of any kind. The study found that children's skills in reading the emotion in other childrens faces got dramatically better. The time they spent interacting in groups, with their peers and counselors, made an important difference. The kids at the camp improved their understanding of emotion, they were able to spend five days without technology.

Although children might not think that conserving nature matters much, their influence goes beyond watching the nature channel on TV to leading a litter pick up in their neighborhood.  Since they are young they need to be pushed by their parents to get off the couch and spend more time outside, ultimately going on to helping their neighborhood become more appreciative of nature. It is much easier to sit on the couch and spend two hours catching up on shows than it is to spend two hours picking up apple cores, however everyone, of all ages should try to spend at least two hours outside. Not necessarily picking up trash, but reading a book, drawing, or just sitting and appreciating the view.