An event held in Alameda Park for youths last weekend is exactly the type that is needed as the days of COVID-19 dwindle.

Harmony’s Michelle Thomas offered free mountain bike lessons Saturday at the Alameda Single Track, drawing more than a dozen children, who learned the basics of mountain biking and were encouraged to try challenging obstacles for confidence-building.

During the past year and several months, people across the nation — and in Butler County — were drawn more to the outdoors because of restrictions on indoor gatherings and events. Places such as parks and other outdoor recreation areas saw massive increases in usage during the pandemic.

But studies of recent years show that young people spend less time engaged in outdoor activity than any other generation.

A 2019 survey by Common Sense Media found that 53% of children own a smartphone by age 11, and 84% of teenagers have their own phones. Another study that year by the Pew Research Center found that 45% of teenagers are “almost constantly” on the internet, and a majority of them say using their smartphone is a way to just pass the time.

Meanwhile, a survey last year by the not-for-profit Outdoor Foundation discovered that nearly half of the U.S. population doesn’t participate in any outdoor recreation, and children in 2018 took part in 15% fewer outdoor activities than they did six years before.

For adults, that study found, one of the biggest impediments was work, whereas technology was more likely to prevent children from spending time outdoors.

So, events such as the one at Alameda Park are important. Between school, homework and hours in front of computers or TV screens, children spend a significant amount of their time indoors.

Outside play and other forms of recreation are important for exercise, getting fresh air and socialization.

As Thomas said of her class: “Mountain biking empowers children. It’s great when you see the most timid children on a bike, and when they ride, they become a whole new person and gain this confidence. They realize their capabilities, and it’s great for their confidence.”

During COVID-19, people were trapped inside their homes for long stretches of time. But when they weren’t doing that, there were few places they could go other than the outdoors. As a result, more time was spent outside.

Let’s keep that trend going for area youths. Now that spring is here, we hope to see more events in our county’s beautiful parks and recreation areas that encourage young people to put down their gadgets and engage with the world around them.

— NCD