FIELD NOTES BLOG
Let's Go! Getting Teens Outside
I grew up with stories from my parents about how they would spend their teenage years out until the streetlights came on, and that at ten o’clock a celebrity would come on television to ask adults, “Do you know where your children are?” I spent my own teen years riding my bike everywhere: the library, the pool, playing chicken with four lanes of traffic to go to the ice cream shop. I could easily walk to the park and meet up with friends and not worry about anything but a sunburn. But as technology advances, the cultural prevalence of true crime heightens, and urban sprawl increases, teens are spending less time outside interacting with nature.
What is stopping teens from exploring the outdoors?
Daily life has become inundated with technology and social media and it can be harder to find time (or the will power) to go outside. Part of growing up is an increased desire to spend time with friends versus family as you develop a stronger sense of identity. Social media is an easy means for teens to reach out to their peers and seek validation and camaraderie. Teens also desire a higher level of independence as part of their brain development. A need for independence and increased time spent with friends does lead to a general drop off of time spent in nature.
There are many factors that go into whether or not your teen wants to spend time outdoors. Access to the outdoors or nature plays a big part. Unless teens are able to have a means of transportation, it can be hard to access genuine outdoor spaces without relying on others (and your teen wants to be independent so asking for a ride from a parent is
so unappealing). This issue increases for teens in urban areas where green spaces are a limited commodity, or neglected by the community, and they may have to travel to other neighborhoods to access quality spaces.
Why is the outdoors beneficial for teens?
Adolescents are going through a lot socially, physically, and cognitively. This is around the age where people really begin to understand abstract concepts and start being able to understand other people’s perspectives. Because this time is when a teen starts noticing people and their thoughts, it’s also when teens start becoming very self aware particularly of what others think of them. Spending time outside and away from the pressures of ‘being your best self’ allows teens to find stress relief; the physical distance between their problems and them leads to a mental distancing as well. This independent time in nature also allows your teen to practice dealing with risky situations, leading to them building skills to handle adversity, stress, and advocating for themselves.
Studies have shown that teens do think that going outside is beneficial to their physical and mental health, and that most think they should spend more time outside. Teens have reported several barriers to their time outdoors including academic and social schedules constraining available time. When teens do find themselves in green spaces, which they most commonly defined as having trees, 51% of participants in a study said that it brought them a sense of peace and 30% said it made them feel happier and refreshed. Spending time outdoors naturally leads to more movement which can improve physical health and build a strong foundation of physical activity into a teen’s adult years.
How do I get my teen outside?
The type of activities teens are interested in also have an impact on the time they spend outdoors. If your teen likes swimming, but doesn’t have access to an indoor pool in December, there’s a big chance that they’re not going to be as active as they would be in the summer. Making sure that teens have access and opportunity to do the activities they enjoy is key in motivating them to get outdoors. If your teen isn’t the sports type, encourage them to do whatever it is they like and do it outdoors - reading, art, listening to music, playing on their Nintendo Switch - even a small change in location of their activity can shift your teen’s mindset to spending more time outdoors. The important part is to be outside - the first step is always the most significant and further habits can be built from there.
Dealing with teens can feel like an uphill battle. The key to understanding them is knowing that teens want independence and that they are very aware of what others think of them, even total strangers. Encouraging teens to spend time outdoors, by themselves or with others, is a great way for teens to get experience in taking risks and understanding natural consequences. Through this teens can build resilience and good habits that will follow them into adulthood.
Sources Used:
Robinson, J. M., & Barrable, A. (2023). Optimising Early Childhood Educational Settings for Health Using Nature-Based Solutions: The Microbiome Aspect. Education Sciences, 13(2), 211. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020211
Riikka Puhakka (2025) Effects of an Outdoor Adventure on Adolescents’ Well-Being and Nature Connection—a Comparison With a Drama Workshop, Leisure Sciences, DOI: 10.1080/01490400.2025.2493833
Fromel, K., Kudlacek, M., Groffik, D., Svozil, Z., Simunek, A., & Garbaciak, W. (2017). Promoting Healthy Lifestyle and Well-Being in Adolescents through Outdoor Physical Activity. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(5), 533. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14050533
Wang, B., Zhao, B., Han, C., Tang, Y., Jin, C., (2024). Harnessing the power of nature exposure to mitigate adolescents' Internet addiction: A chain mediation model. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 42(4), 566-582. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12516
Callahan, Alice (2023). Improving Teen Lives with a Breath of Fresh Air. University of Oregon. https://news.uoregon.edu/improving-teen-lives-breath-fresh-air
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