Getting our kids’ heads out of social media and into the world

Tuesday, 10 June 2025

Young people’s screen time can devour the same amount of time as a full-time job, writes Malindi MacLean.

Malindi MacLean is chief executive of Outward Bound NZ and a member of B416, a group campaigning to have the minimum age for social media use raised to 16.

OPINION: International data recently revealed New Zealand has the highest child suicide rate among 36 wealthy countries. It’s a devastating statistic that demands serious reflection, open minds and urgent action.

Yet when conversations arise about the growing mental health crisis facing our rangatahi, too often we get sidetracked. Recent commentary from public figures has pushed back against the idea of delaying social media access for young people, claiming the evidence isn’t strong enough.

But the argument isn’t just about data. It’s about what social media and screen saturation are displacing in young lives. And on that front, the evidence is overwhelming.

At Outward Bound, we work with thousands of young people each year and we’re seeing what happens when they unplug. In a recent survey of our alumni under 20, 78% said they wanted to reduce their screen time after experiencing a digital detox on their course. More than 80% said being offline helped them reconnect with themselves and others. Nearly half said they’d support delaying social media access for under-16s.

This isn’t fearmongering. It’s listening.

We talk a lot about “the Anxious Generation” but not enough about “the Indoor Generation”.

A file photo of a group of young people on an Outward Bound course in the Marlborough Sounds. The experience of unplugging from the online world and immersing themselves in the natural environment has convinced many of the organisation’s alumni of the need to reduce social media use, writes Malindi MacLean.

Our tamariki and rangatahi are spending less time outdoors than any previous generation. Instead of running, climbing, exploring and pushing boundaries in the real world, many are stuck inside, absorbed in algorithm-driven content that rewards passivity and comparison over curiosity and resilience.

Screens are not neutral tools. They are active competitors for time, and they’re winning. Young people in New Zealand spend upwards of 40 hours a week online – a full-time job. What’s being displaced is movement, sleep, eye contact, spontaneous play, real-life risk-taking, emotional regulation and face-to-face connection. All of which are essential to development.

The brains of early teenagers are in a crucial development phase. They’re hypersensitive to reward, supercharged for learning, emotionally intense and needing approval. You could say teenagers' brains are “under construction” and particularly vulnerable to social media’s addictive design.

It shouldn’t be a radical idea to say that children should be outdoors more; that they should spend less time alone in their rooms, scrolling endlessly ; that they need meaningful, offline experiences with peers. And yet when we suggest policy responses like delaying the age at which young people can access social media, we’re told it’s too simplistic.

But here’s what’s too simplistic: claiming that because social media isn’t the only cause of rising youth distress, we should leave it alone.

Malindi MacLean is CEO of Outward Bound NZ and a member of the B416 group.

One article making the rounds recently argued that the effect of social media on youth mental health was “small”, based on a single study that didn’t even measure social media use directly. It looked at screen time broadly, lumping in TV, email and gaming - and its methods have been widely discredited.

To be clear, no one is suggesting that mental health challenges start and end with social media. Of course they don’t. But to ignore the role it plays, particularly in displacing the very things that help young people thrive, is a disservice to the children and parents asking for change.

We don’t let 12-year-olds buy alcohol, gamble or drive. Not because we think they’re weak or incapable, but because we recognise the need for boundaries when the risks are high and the systems are powerful. The same principle should apply here.

At Outward Bound, we don’t just see the problem. We see the solution. Time outdoors, shared challenge, connection, movement, reflection. The transformation we see when young people step away from their screens is profound.

As Outward Bound founder Kurt Hahn put it: “Without the instinct for adventure, any civilisation, however enlightened; any state, however well-ordered, will wilt and wither.”

Our rangatahi are telling us they want to reconnect. They want purpose, challenge and freedom from distraction. Let’s stop asking if social media is the only problem and start asking what it’s costing our kids.