In the digital age, we enjoy countless benefits from computers and communication, but there is a darker side. Among the new threats are internet addiction and the so-called nature deficit, which may be shaping the future of many children in worrying ways.
The Origins of the Concept
Richard Louv, a journalist and prolific author, coined the term and popularized it through his book The Last Child in the Woods. The phrase "nature deficit" seeks to describe a significant lack in the childhood of the 21st century that hardly needs explanation. Most adults today can easily point out the differences between their own childhood adventures and the games that attract children today. We all know what it feels like to get muddy and climb a tree — and most of us recall it with longing nostalgia — something today's children look at with reluctance.
Many of us frequently wonder whether it is unhealthy that the younger generation does not stimulate their imagination in open spaces. Louv delved into this while researching for his book The Future of Childhood and discovered that the lack of contact with nature has physical and psychological effects on people.
The Modern Childhood
Children spend too much time cooped up. They go from home to school, to activity centers, and back home again. They understand more about technology than their elders and show greater ease in adapting to change. In many ways, they seem more clever than we were at their age, perhaps even more intelligent. However, this premature 'maturity' is working against them. Attention deficit syndrome and childhood obesity are becoming increasingly common, and there are other effects like stress or depression that may be linked to the lack of nature in their lives. When a child today gets a bump or a cut, parents go into a frenzy; they rush to the doctor and cover them with remedies, bandages, and care.
It is not that taking care of our children is wrong, but we are exercising an overprotection that ignores our own experiences. In the 'old childhoods' (back in the 70s and 80s), we regularly got scrapes; many of us broke bones falling from trees or rolling down slopes, got cut with broken bottles or rusty nails. Many of us saw more of a tetanus vaccine needle than the one our mothers used for knitting, and yet here we are: safe and sound, full of experiences and healthy memories. Louv points out that cities and technology are not the only responsible parties for nature deficit; parents are part of the cause. The growing social insecurity forces them to emphasize more than ever the phrase 'don't talk to strangers' and limits their children's recreation to a marked and known area, to moving by car and not leaving home much.
https://old.neoteo.com/la-obsesion-por-internet-crea-depresion/The Benefits of Nature
Children who are exposed to nature show intellectual, spiritual, and physical improvements compared to those who stay indoors. Outdoor activities have been shown to reduce stress, sharpen concentration, and promote creative problem-solving. Louv and several other researchers consider this a good therapy for attention deficit syndrome and other ailments affecting children. Louv goes further, suggesting that while increasing children's exposure to nature can help them focus, the existence of disorders is evidence that two generations of alienation may have already caused considerable damage to our children. And the journalist does not forget to emphasize that, beyond the little ones, we adults also benefit from a bit of green in our lives.
https://old.neoteo.com/test-ansiedad-comprueba-estado-ansiedad/Louv's book cites evidence that children need nature to develop their senses of learning and creativity. Studies in the United States, Sweden, Australia, and Canada have shown that children who play in natural settings (with rivers, fields, and trees) are more likely to create their own games and show greater cooperation than those who play in constructed settings. In controlled environments, there is no true experimentation or risk. Although risk is precisely what parents want to avoid, it is what teaches us the most and stimulates creativity when finding solutions.
A Call to Reconnect
Nature deficit is not a disease that requires pills or harsh treatments. On the contrary, it can be solved by recovering that lost habit that served us well when we were young. Today's children learn about nature in books and understand more about the Amazon rainforest than we did years ago. But the lack of contact with nature intellectualizes learning and makes them detached. And they are the ones who will have to fight to preserve it in years to come. It is time to get back on track with our connection to nature. Both for our children and for ourselves.
