Summary
In February, I was invited to speak at the annual meeting of the American Camp Association (ACA) in New Orleans.
Highlights
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although modern communication technology (e.g., smartphones) might be connecting us to every idea and person in the world, it is making us more lonely and depressed.
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summer camps have the exact kinds of features needed to help reverse the two trends that have driven much of the mental health crisis: overprotection in the real world and underprotection online
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The decline of the play-based childhood was driven in large part by a novel parenting trend that reduces children’s resilience: overprotection.¹ Overprotection changes the objective function of parenting from “preparation for life” to “protection from pain.” In short, if we completely shield our children from the struggles of life, then once they leave the nest they will have less capacity to adapt on their own and will experience more anxiety