Are screens stealing summer?

At this point in the year, with Easter behind us and the long summer holiday creeping closer, there is often a familiar mixture of excitement and mild panic.

Summer should feel full of potential and a break from routine. And yet many families know how easily those good intentions can be swallowed up by lie-ins, endless scrolling, gaming and that vague sense that six weeks have passed by without much really happening.

To be clear, this is not an argument against screens. They are not the villain here. Smartphones, games consoles and social media are all part of modern life, and most parents are not trying to wage war on them. The issue is not that young people spend time online... It’s that, all too easily, summer holidays can slip into something passive, frictionless, and forgettable.

A summer of self-belief  

A good summer camp does not just keep you busy, it changes the rhythm of your day. It gets you away from the usual distractions, places you in a new environment and asks a little more of you than everyday life does.

That might sound serious, but in reality, it is often surprisingly simple. A young person who thought they were not outdoorsy discovers they can thrive in the mountains. Someone who spends most of their time in the glow of a screen finds themselves laughing with a group around a table, or on the water, or halfway through a challenge they were sure they would hate. 

Very often, the change is not dramatic or loudly declared. It is quieter than that… A little more confidence, independence and a general willingness to give things a go.

We have spent decades building programmes around exactly these kinds of moments. The point is not adventure for adventure’s sake, nor is it to prove how tough young people can be. It is to help them discover and embrace their strengths through outdoor experiences that expand horizons, build new connections, and create memories that last.

What makes a good summer camp?

What parents are often looking for (even if they may not phrase it this way) is something more valuable than entertainment and less worthy than a lecture. They want their child to enjoy themselves, obviously, but they also want them to come back with something that's harder to measure but easier to notice. A bit more spark. A bit more self-belief. A sense that they are capable of more than they give themselves credit for.

The best summer camp providers understand that fun and growth are not opposites; in fact, one is often the gateway to the other. Young people are far more likely to stretch themselves when they are enjoying the experience, feel part of the group, and when the whole thing feels like an adventure rather than an exercise in self-improvement. That balance matters, and it is one of the reasons Outward Bound continue to mean so much to so many families.

Sometimes it is easy to compare locations, activities and prices, but those things only tell part of the story. What really shapes a summer camp is the thinking behind it...

• Who is leading it?
• How well is it structured?
• Has is been designed simply to fill time or to create the conditions in which participants can thrive? 

The difference between an enjoyable week and a genuinely formative one often lies there.

The value of adventure

For some families, cost will understandably be part of the calculation. The best summer camps are not cheap, but when you’re confident in the quality of the experience, the care around young people and the depth of what’s on offer, the value becomes clear. 

At the same time, one of the things that makes Outward Bound distinctive is that we’re not just a provider of summer adventures, but a charity. That matters because it means access is part of our mission, with financial support (check out our Adventure Fund) and funded places helping to open up these experiences to young people who might not otherwise have the opportunity. 

So are screens stealing summer? Not exactly. But they do have a way of filling any space we leave for them, and the long holidays are full of space. 

The real question for parents is not whether their child will spend some of the summer online. Of course they will. It is whether part of that summer might also be spent doing something real, memorable and just demanding enough to show them a different side of themselves.