For two to three-and-a-half weeks, teenagers at a Maine summer camp traded their devices for outdoor activities and face-to-face friendships. By the end, their mental health had improved - with the largest gains among those who arrived struggling.
The findings add to research suggesting that relief from constant connectivity can produce benefits surprisingly quickly. They also raise a question - How much of it depends on what replaces the screen?
The study, published in Mental Health & Prevention, assessed 192 adolescents attending a device-free residential camp. Researchers included scientists from Sapien Labs and UC San Diego.
Participants' composite mental-health scores improved by an average of 10.1 points between arrival and departure. Those starting with mental-health struggles recorded a median improvement of 27 points. These are changes on the study's questionnaire scale, not percentage improvements or evidence that a psychiatric condition was cured.
The strongest gains involved adaptability and resilience. Campers also reported better focus and less worry and restlessness. Forty-four percent said they felt a stronger sense of belonging at camp than at school; 40% found making friends easier.
A session cost $4,900 to $7,900. Fewer than one in 10 campers arrived in the study's distressed or struggling range, against more than half of US teens on the same measure, and nearly a quarter saw their scores fall by more than five points. Sapien
