Getting Students Off Their Screens and Back Into the Real World

One of the biggest challenges facing young people today is the sheer amount of time they spend on mobile devices. For many students, screens dominate their free time — before school, after school, and often late into the night.

We’re now seeing the effects of this play out more clearly in schools. Excessive screen time has been linked to rising anxiety, disrupted sleep, reduced attention spans, and increasing difficulty with emotional regulation. Teachers frequently report students arriving at school tired, distracted, and struggling to focus — not because they don’t care, but because their nervous systems rarely get a break.

This is why encouraging outdoor activities as genuine hobbies is so important. Time spent outside — hiking, paddling, surfing, riding, climbing — gives students something screens simply can’t: physical movement, sensory input, challenge, and presence. Outdoors, students move their bodies, breathe fresh air, and engage fully with what’s happening around them. Their attention shifts from constant digital stimulation to real-world problem solving and connection.

There has been growing discussion around government-led social media bans and restrictions for young people. While these measures aren’t perfect, they represent an important acknowledgment that unlimited access to screens comes at a cost. Limiting screen time can certainly help — but restriction alone isn’t enough.

What really matters is replacement.

When screens are taken away without offering meaningful alternatives, students often feel bored, disconnected, or resistant. But when young people are given access to positive, engaging experiences — especially outdoors — something changes. They don’t just spend less time on screens; they start to want to.

This is where outdoor education plays a powerful role. By introducing students to activities like kayaking, bushwalking, climbing, or paddling, schools help them discover experiences that are challenging, rewarding, and genuinely enjoyable. For many students, it’s the first time they realise they can feel excitement, calm, and accomplishment without a screen in their hands.

Importantly, these experiences don’t end when the program finishes. A single positive exposure to an outdoor activity can spark a long-term interest — something students return to on weekends, during holidays, or as a lifelong hobby. Over time, those interests naturally displace screen time rather than competing with it.

For teachers and parents, the goal isn’t to demonise technology. Screens are part of modern life. The goal is balance — and balance is far easier to achieve when students have strong, healthy alternatives that meet their need for stimulation, connection, and challenge.

Outdoor programs give students exactly that: a reset for their minds, a workout for their bodies, and a reminder that the real world still has a lot to offer.