When screens replace backyards: strategies to connect digital-media-oriented young people to nature.

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Title: When screens replace backyards: strategies to connect digital-media-oriented young people to nature.
Authors: Edwards, Rachael C.1 r7edwards@uwaterloo.ca, Larson, Brendon M. H.2
Source: Environmental Education Research. Jul2020, Vol. 26 Issue 7, p950-968. 19p. 1 Diagram.
Subject Terms: *Digital media, Western society, Well-being, Nature, Digital technology
Abstract: Children's connection to nature (CTN) is declining with each generation, a concerning trend given that CTN is positively linked to wellbeing and environmentalism. A primary cause of this decline is that twenty-first-century youth engage with screens for several hours each day, which to a large extent replaces nature-based play. Researchers have proposed that this change represents a transition in human orientation, particularly in Westernized societies, from nature (biophilia) to digital media (videophilia). Interventions promoting nature-based play must acknowledge digital-media use as a competing leisure pursuit, but the literature presents little guidance for designing programs that will attract young people who are more oriented toward digital media than nature. Drawing on a wide breadth of research, we address this gap through (1) exploring the implications of videophilia for nature-based programming and (2) summarizing recommendations from a narrative literature review for designing interventions that appeal to digital-media-oriented youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Education Research Complete
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Abstract:Children's connection to nature (CTN) is declining with each generation, a concerning trend given that CTN is positively linked to wellbeing and environmentalism. A primary cause of this decline is that twenty-first-century youth engage with screens for several hours each day, which to a large extent replaces nature-based play. Researchers have proposed that this change represents a transition in human orientation, particularly in Westernized societies, from nature (biophilia) to digital media (videophilia). Interventions promoting nature-based play must acknowledge digital-media use as a competing leisure pursuit, but the literature presents little guidance for designing programs that will attract young people who are more oriented toward digital media than nature. Drawing on a wide breadth of research, we address this gap through (1) exploring the implications of videophilia for nature-based programming and (2) summarizing recommendations from a narrative literature review for designing interventions that appeal to digital-media-oriented youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:13504622
DOI:10.1080/13504622.2020.1776844