Westborough Youth & Family Services Wants You to Get Outdoors

Why Do We Recommend More Screen – Free Family Time

For more information about Youth & Family Services and Unplugged week visit our Facebook page.

Jean Twenge, Ph.D., wrote iGen, a book that examines why
teens have become less happy and less satisfied with their lives. She found that teens’ well-being fell around
the time that smartphones began to be commonplace in our lives. Further, they found screen activities were
correlated with less happiness and non-screen activities were correlated with
greater happiness. The strongest
correlation with happiness is sleep, by the way, which we seem to find less and
less time for as we play with our screens.
Being with others, face-to-face, was highly correlated with happiness.

Victoria Dunckley, M.D., uses the term “electronic screen syndrome” to describe her patients’ conditions. She notices that many children are suffering from a lack of restorative sleep and hyper-aroused nervous systems. They present as impulsive and moody, and lack focus.

Our use of screens does change our brains. A study found that a group with internet or gaming “addictions” had atrophy of gray matter areas of the brain, including the frontal lobe, the seat of executive functioning and impulse control. There was also damage to the insula, a brain area that is involved in empathy.

Changes in white matter were also noted, including thinning of the cortex. Cognitive functioning was found to be impaired. The brain changes were considered similar to those with drug addiction.

In Britian, doctors issued the following advice about social media and screen use:

Phones should stay outside the bedroom, screen-free meals are recommended, and exercise should be prioritized.The Millenium Cohort Study found that lengthy social media use affected sleep, self-esteem and body image, according to University College London.

Local Places to Westborough to get outdoors

Westborough Walking Trails –see westboroughcharm.org for trails and map

Lake Chauncy (Westborough) – swimming, picnicking, playground

Lake Whitehall State Park (Hopkinton) – offers hiking, boating, fishing

Hopkinton State Park (Hopkinton) – 1500-acre forest offers hiking, beaches, swimming, fishing, picnicking, boating

Upton State Forest (Upton) – 2660-acre forest offers hiking, exploring historic structures, cross-country skiing

Dean Park (Shrewsbury) – Large park offers scenic walking trails, playground, picnicking, sports fields, pond

Tower Hill Botanic Garden (Boylston) –outdoor gardens, indoor conservatories, seasonal exhibits, activities and tours, classes

Broadmeadow Brook (Worcester) – Mass Audobon wildlife sanctuary

Ecotarium (Worcester) – indoor/outdoor science and nature museum, animals, outdoor play area, planetarium, Nature Explore Outdoor Exhibit for children and families

Hadwen Arboretum (Worcester) – 6.4 acres, hiking, picnicking, photography

Greenhill Farm (Worcester) – Families and children enjoy interacting with this farm, farm animals (free)

Green Hill Park (Worcester) –hiking, playground

Ashland State Park (Ashland) – 470 acres offering hiking, biking, boating, swimming, fishing

Boundless Adventures (Berlin) –Adventure park offering climbing, balancing, zip-line, aerial adventures

Cushing Memorial Park (Framingham) – gardens, picnic areas, playground, lawns, running and walking

Garden-in-the-Woods (Framingham) –botanic garden with rare and common native plants

Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary (Natick) –Mass Audobon bird sanctuary offering trails for hiking through woodlands and along the Charles River

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary (Lincoln) –working farm and wildlife sanctuary

Purgatory Chasm State Reservation (Sutton) –Natural landmark offering hiking trails, views, picnicking

Wellesley College Botanic Gardens (Wellesley) –walking, trees and shrubs from around the world

Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park (Boston) – trails, views, sight-seeing

Community Boating on the Charles River (Boston and environs) – see community-boating .org for details