#Rewilding

A growing global movement urges families to unplug during summer. Recent recommendations from the UK’s Raising the Nation Play Commission support the idea that a phone-free break can curb digital overuse while boosting resilience, happiness, and social skills. In many households, experts warn that excessive smartphone use is linked to lower well-being, especially for children who spend long hours online.

For Thai families and educators, this trend aligns with local concerns about children’s screen habits. Thai and international studies indicate that high screen time can relate to behavioral and emotional challenges. As routines shift toward digital engagement, parents, schools, and policymakers in Thailand are seeking practical ways to restore balanced childhood experiences and healthy social development.

As concerns about children’s mental health and screen dependency rise globally, the call to “rewild” children—allowing them to spend summer away from smartphones—has become a powerful trend. Drawing inspiration from recent recommendations by the Raising the Nation Play Commission in the UK, new evidence suggests that a phone-free summer might not only curb digital overuse but also foster resilience, happiness, and social skills in young people. This movement comes at a crucial time as research and parent anecdotes paint a portrait of a generation described as “sedentary, scrolling and alone,” with smartphone use implicated in declining childhood wellbeing (The Times).