For some years now, children have been spending more and more time at home or indoors, staring at a screen, and less time outdoors or in natural spaces. This loss of contact with the natural environment has consequences for their development.

Among the many concerns raised by this increase in screen use ( sedentary lifestyle, isolation, overexposure, and even addiction ), we also have to consider the things children and adolescents stop doing when algorithms “eat up” their time. One of those activities is being outdoors, and the consequences go beyond an increase in childhood obesity.

Our research project studies how the excess of technology and the lack of nature impact the development of children’s identities . We also listened to the children themselves.

A narrow view of technology

Some results show a conditioning relationship between the preference for screens and a greater distance from nature. We’re not just referring to a loss of presence in the natural environment, but also to the loss of emotional and symbolic connection with it.

In a recent pictorial study (a qualitative study based on the subjects’ drawings), we asked 2,586 children between the ages of 9 and 12 to represent, in a freehand drawing, what technology means to them. Their vision often revolves around smartphones or video game consoles, rather than recognizing the infinite digital universe we access through these screens.

This is one of the key points for transforming usage. It’s about giving children a real vision of digital possibilities, allowing them to approach the digital environment as what it truly is: the new playground of the 21st century.

Why do you like them so much?

To transform the meaning of screens in the lives of our children and adolescents, we need to understand them. What do they do with screens? Why do they love them so much? The secret is none other than their unlimited possibilities , their stimulating nature, and the immediate reward they offer.

As children grow, their screen-use habits and the types of activities they engage in become more established. Children between the ages of 9 and 12 use screens for recreational and educational purposes, but their main daily activities are carried out away from screens.

However, adolescents, in addition to increasing the frequency of use, focus their activities on constant communication with their peers through different social networks .

We’ve found that restrictions imposed by families or schools on screen usage patterns and times have little effect . Adults need to be available and present when using screens: talking, observing, asking questions, and setting clear limits. We also need to suggest alternatives and serve as role models through our own use of devices.

By understanding the reasons why young people are drawn to screens, we can imagine alternatives. The question then becomes: Is it possible to create technology that helps us explore the world in a healthy way?

Technology to be on the street

We know that the use of technology in natural environments is a key element in understanding the relationship between childhood and adolescence and nature. With this goal of transformation and balance, we have co-designed a mobile app called NaturKingdom with computer scientists and the children themselves , designed to bring them closer to their natural environment.

The way this app, currently in beta (i.e., testing), works reverses the way screens are used. To play, young people must physically locate themselves in Salamanca’s parks. They must also interact with the environment and other people while detecting the presence of pets, which they must incorporate into the game by capturing them from the location indicated on the map.

Once they have at least one, they’ll have to travel to the game arena and face other players in cultural battles based on questions related to the environment. The winner will keep their opponent’s mascot and go on to conquer the city’s parks.

Educating between screens

Accepting the presence of screens doesn’t mean becoming dependent on them or giving up on their use. But it does mean accepting that they are a part of childhood and adolescent life. This requires us to consciously consider how to turn them into safe and healthy spaces. Spaces to which we belong and in which we participate as digital citizens.

If the challenge is to transform the meaning of screens in childhood and adolescence, we need to include them in the developmental processes. And trust that, with the necessary support and guidance, screens can become a positive, safe, and nurturing environment for children’s human development and education.

Author Bios: María Teresa Silva Fernández is on the Teaching and Research Staff in Training in the area of ​​Theory and History of Education, José Manuel Muñoz Rodríguez is Professor in the Department of Theory and History of Education and Sara Serrate González is Professor of Social Pedagogy in the Department of Theory and History of Education all at the University of Salamanca