Tik-Tok, Snapchat, You Tube Shorts, & Instagram. Smart phone apps and online video gaming. Sedentary experiences with technology — these are the things most kids fall back on when they don’t have anything else to do, in essence removing them from the real world and left to mentally decay doing mindless things online. What flows from there negatively impacts mental health, including social isolation, depression, poor interpersonal communication skills, and countless invaluable missed life skill opportunities that can only be learned by interacting in the real world, with real people. Kids who are active with sports do have something to do, and are far less likely to succumb to continuous technology, making sport participation a really nice way to boost mental health in addition to physical fitness.
Sports > Technology for youth development
As the world evolves and we more regularly interface with technology, it is important to examine what human developmental qualities are being impacted? We might be becoming more efficient with technology, but are we healthier and happier? Are we better people swiping Tik Tok videos all day? Are kids better for doing this? Like water that travels to the lowest point, leave a kid alone with technology and within seconds he or she will be absorbed watching videos or reading online posts. Is this good for kids and their mental health?
Youth sports, once viewed as simply a great way for kids to get in shape and make friends, serves a much greater purpose in this moment as it applies to kids mental health. Simply put, if we don’t want kids rotting daily scrolling on their phones, we must come up with different and better options for them. Sports fill that gap amazingly well, as sport participation requires kids to get active with their bodies, work together with teammates, be responsible to a team schedule, plus so much more. Do you think a kid is mentally healthier playing on a sports team, or playing online video games all day?
If we are being honest, it’s a lot easier to help a kid detox from technology overdose by providing other options, versus simply saying get off the game now! When kids feel as though there is nothing to do in exchange for vegging online they are less inclined to change their behavior — herein is where sports can help! By helping kids embrace sports in the ways that their parents and grandparents did, they can experience all the great physical, mental, and social benefits of being on a team. Sports were a great endeavor on their own, but now even better when used as a way to help kids unplug.
Final thoughts
If we as adults do not steer kids and provide healthy life options, you can bet they will soon fall back to their phones or gaming controllers. As kids devote big parts of their day to their devices, their mental health is negatively impacted, and many lose out on important human developmental periods where interpersonal communications skills are best learned. When kids choose sports, however, they benefit from physical activity, social interactions, and countless life skills. Today, sport participation can be one of the best tools adults have in helping kids unplug.
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