In the modern world it is increasingly difficult to escape technology and ‘screens’. Teenagers will spend a large portion of their day at school staring at an iPad, Laptop or Computer screen, only to relax by coming home and staring at a phone, TV or Laptop screen to ‘relax’.
We can’t pretend that there aren’t benefits to social media and phones, staying connected with friends and family who live on the other side of the country, or even the world. Job opportunities are now increasingly advertised online, and the presence of role models on social media makes it an attractive proposition for your children. That’s not to say that having a phone is all sunshine and rainbows. The impact that screens have on sleep and the anxiety that social media can cause has been well documented in the media, as well as the apparent decline in young people reading in favour of scrolling.
At STC Expeditions, we understand parental worries about the dangers of prolonged screen time and the detrimental effect that it can have on the lives of your children. It’s part of why one of our expeditions does something a little different.
One of the expeditions that we run to Finland, the ‘Canoe Adventure’, involves a five-day adventure on the lakes of Northern Finland, an area so unspoiled by pollution that it is safe to drink the lake water without filtration.
On the second day of the expedition, with the canoes calling to you from the side of the lake, the students leave their devices back at the safety of the lodge, to be collected again after the canoeing has finished on the penultimate day of their time abroad.
Your children going on this expedition will want to know how they could possibly fill the day without their phones. After a comprehensive packing session, the group heads out onto the open water. They wild camp on various islands littered around the region, cooking and eating together. It is by no means easy, paddling for five days straight will begin to take its toll and it is difficult to adapt to the sleeping in the land of the midnight sun but the challenge is what makes the that traditional Finnish sauna by the lake on final day even more rewarding.
While it’s fair to say that the students who went on our Canoe Adventure a few summers ago certainly struggled to adjust to the lack of screens, they soon embraced their new temporary lifestyle. Instead of playing mobile games, two members of our group instead became truly acquainted for the first time, forging a friendship that has since stood the test of time.
Once the phones are handed back there is often no time spared in putting them on charge, turning them on and getting up to date, in our case, England’s progress at the 2024 Euros. You might see this rush to get back online as defeating the point of a digital detox, we must disagree with you. The peace, tranquillity and human connection forged with their peers will stay with them for a long time, permanently altering their outlook on phones and the importance of, every once in a while, getting off them.
None of this comes from a lecture or a rule at home. It comes from five days on a quiet lake, with something better to do than scroll. If you’d like your child to have a quiet few days like that, our Finland Canoe Adventure is where they’ll find them.