All work and no play made Jack a dull boy. But today, it’s making many of our nation’s children anxious, depressed and even suicidal.
In the Journal of Pediatrics, three scientists from Utah State University, Boston College and Florida Atlantic University write that it’s no coincidence that mental health has declined over several decades for those under 18 at the same time that children and teens’ lives have become far more regimented.
The trio cite evidence of those controls, including young students who shoulder massive homework loads, a much longer school year, structured recreation and parents reluctant to let kids out of their sight.
According to past research, children react more enthusiastically to play that is unsupervised; in other words, not run by an adult. Unsupervised, they play with more vigor, challenge themselves and problem-solve — and yes, sometimes they take risks.
But doing those things allows children and teens to develop an “internal locus of control.” That’s a person’s belief that they have control over their life and can solve problems as they arise. Those who don’t develop that belief feel they have little control over their lives.
And that outlook is highly predictive of anxiety and depression for children and adults.
Children’s mental health is no trifling issue. By 2019, suicide was the second leading cause of death for children ages 10 through 15, after accidents. One study showed that by the late 1980s, about 85% of children in the U.S. were more anxious than the average child in 1956.
Parents want what is best for their children. Sometimes, that means letting them do their own thing.