The Anxious Generation Needs Camp: Why Getting Kids Outside Matters More Than Ever
Have you ever watched a group of kids completely lose track of time? Maybe they’re building a fort in the woods, splashing through a creek, playing an elaborate game they’ve invented, or sitting around a campfire telling stories. Nobody is checking notifications. Nobody is worrying about how many likes their latest picture received. Nobody is wondering what everyone else is doing.
They’re just being kids.
Unfortunately, those moments seem to be becoming less common. In his bestselling book The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores how childhood has changed over the past several decades. He describes a shift from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood, where smartphones, social media, and digital entertainment have increasingly replaced real-world experiences.
Haidt raises some important concerns about what this shift means for the next generation. Increased social isolation, constant social comparison, fragmented attention, and fewer opportunities for independent play are just a few of the challenges he identifies.
As people who care about the next generation, we should be paying attention. But what if part of the answer is something surprisingly simple? What if kids need more opportunities to put down their phones, step outside, make friends, get a little dirty, and experience the world around them? At Camp Bear Creek, we believe that’s exactly what camp provides.
1. Real Relationships in a World of Digital Connections
We live in a world where kids can communicate with hundreds of people without ever having a meaningful face-to-face conversation. They can have countless online connections and still feel lonely. Haidt identifies social deprivation as one of the foundational harms associated with phone-based childhoods. Digital communication simply doesn’t replace all the benefits of spending time together in person.
At camp, friendships happen differently.
They’re formed while working together during a team-building challenge, cheering each other on during an activity, laughing around the dinner table, or staying up late talking in the cabin. They’re built through shared experiences, spontaneous conversations, and the everyday moments that happen when kids spend time together.
At Camp Bear Creek, we believe authentic relationships are one of the most important parts of the camp experience. We want every camper to have opportunities to build friendships, practice kindness, learn to work together, and discover what it means to belong to a community.
Real friendship is about more than sending a message. It’s about showing up, listening, encouraging, and being present.
2. Trading Screen Time for Green Time
How much of your child’s day is spent looking at a screen? Between schoolwork, television, video games, smartphones, and social media, it’s easy for kids to spend much of their time indoors and connected to technology. The average 6th grader spends from 5 to 8 hours on screens just for entertainment alone. Haidt points to the importance of restoring a play-based childhood, one that includes physical activity, outdoor exploration, and opportunities to engage with the real world.
That’s something we’re pretty passionate about at Camp Bear Creek! Our classroom looks a little different. Sometimes it’s the muddy creek. Sometimes it’s a hiking trail. Sometimes it’s a cave. Sometimes it’s a field full of campers playing games or a pond full of kids learning to kayak. We believe the natural world is one of God’s greatest classrooms.
When kids spend time outside, they get to explore, discover, create, and experience things that simply can’t be replicated on a screen. They learn to appreciate creation, challenge themselves physically, and recognize the beauty of the world God has made. There’s something special about watching a camper catch a bull frog at the pond, build a fire to cook their own meal, or experience the excitement of reaching the top of the climbing tower.
These aren’t just activities to fill a schedule. They’re opportunities to connect with the world around us.
3. Learning to Be Independent and Build Confidence
One of the other concerns Haidt raises is that childhood has increasingly become overprotected in the real world while children are under-protected in the digital world. Kids need opportunities to make decisions, take appropriate risks, solve problems, and discover that they’re capable of doing things on their own. Camp provides a safe and supportive environment for that kind of growth.
For some campers, it might be their first time sleeping away from home. For others, it might be trying kayaking, jumping off the zip line platform, or participating in an activity they’ve never attempted before. They might have to work through a disagreement with a cabin mate, figure out how to complete a team challenge, or find the courage to introduce themselves to someone new. These experiences might seem small, but they’re important.
At Camp Bear Creek, we want campers to be challenged and encouraged. Our counselors walk alongside them, offering guidance and support while giving them opportunities to discover their own abilities. Every time a camper tries something new, works through a challenge, or realizes they can do something they once thought was impossible, they’re building confidence that can carry into everyday life.
4. A Place Where Kids Can Just Be Kids
Social media can create an environment where kids constantly compare themselves to others. They’re exposed to carefully curated pictures, unrealistic expectations, and the pressure to present a certain version of themselves. It can feel like childhood has become another performance. At camp, we want things to be different.
You don’t need the perfect outfit to go creek stomping. You don’t need to be the best athlete to participate in a game. You don’t need to have the funniest jokes or the most impressive accomplishments to make friends. You just need to show up.
One of our core values at Camp Bear Creek is Be Authentic. We want campers to feel comfortable being who God created them to be. We want them to discover that they are valued, loved, and accepted without needing to impress anyone. In fact, some of the best camp memories happen when things don’t go according to plan. They’re made when someone loses a shoe in the mud, when a group of campers can’t stop laughing, or when an entire cabin decides to sing at the top of their lungs. There are no filters needed for those moments.
5. Making Room for Faith and Spiritual Growth
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of camp is the opportunity to slow down and pay attention to something bigger than ourselves. Our world is noisy. There are constant notifications, endless entertainment options, busy schedules, and competing demands for our attention. Sometimes we need a little space to be still.
At Camp Bear Creek, we believe the natural world of God’s creation is the best place to connect with our Creator. Whether we’re sitting outside for Bible study, singing around a campfire, or simply taking a quiet moment to appreciate the beauty of the woods, camp creates opportunities to recognize God’s presence.
It’s also a place where kids can ask questions, explore their faith, and build relationships with people who encourage them in their walk with Jesus. We believe faith is meant to be lived out in community. Campers don’t just learn Bible stories; they have opportunities to practice kindness, forgiveness, service, encouragement, and love. And hopefully, they take those lessons home with them.
Childhood Needs More Camp
Haidt’s The Anxious Generation presents some challenging realities about the world our children are growing up in. There isn’t one simple solution, and a week of summer camp isn’t going to fix every challenge facing today’s kids. But we do believe camp can be part of the answer.
Kids need real friendships. They need opportunities to explore. They need time outside. They need chances to make decisions, overcome challenges, and discover their God-given abilities. They need places where they can be themselves and know they belong. They need opportunities to put down their screens and experience the world around them. That’s what we’ve been working to provide at Camp Bear Creek since 1960.
Our mission is to serve Christ by providing a place of sanctuary and inspiration. We want campers to leave with new friendships, greater confidence, a deeper appreciation for God’s creation, and a stronger understanding of who God created them to be.
So maybe the next time you’re wondering what your child needs this summer, consider giving them something a little different. Give them a week in the woods. Give them opportunities to explore, play, laugh, grow, and make friends. Give them a chance to unplug and live in the moment.
Give them camp.
Because sometimes the best way forward is to get back to the things that make childhood special in the first place.
Technology at Camp