At a recent event, we had the pleasure of talking to a mother and daughter who are a shining example of what Project One Health’s “Less Screen, More Green,” campaign is all about. The mother, daughter duo told us about the ways they are decreasing their time on their screens and increasing their time outdoors and as a family.

We listened to 17-year old Angela, a thoughtful young lady navigating school, hobbies, and digital life, and her mother, Jenari, a small business owner and home schooling mom of 5. Together, they explained how their family finds balance in a world where screens and nature constantly compete for our attention and time.

“It’s Helpful… but Overwhelming”: A Youth Perspective on Screens

When Angela talks about screen time, she does so with genuine clarity. “Sometimes it can be useful, but sometimes it can be overwhelming,” she explains. She recognizes that devices help her learn, play, and stay connected—but they also consume more time than she’d like.

“I feel like I use it more than I should,” she says, acknowledging what many young people feel but rarely act upon. For Angela, the problem isn’t technology itself—it’s the time it takes away from more important things. And she feels the effects. “I think I should take a break to clear my mind… get outside and breathe some fresh air.”

Her words reflect a growing truth: young people understand their own digital boundaries more deeply than adults often assume. They know when they need space. They know when their minds feel cluttered. And they know what helps them reset.

Screens as Tools: A Parent’s Perspective

For Jenari, balancing screen time looks different. As a homeschool mom and business owner, technology is a key part of her everyday workday. However, Jenari stresses that she uses “it as a tool for positivity.”  However, she explains that as soon as the work day is over, she puts the technology away until she needs it again.

Jenari highlights how  technology can uplift, empower, and streamline, but she also stresses that it is not everything and at a certain point, you need to put the technology down and live life.

“You still need to step away, get outdoors, and experience life,” she says, echoing Angela’s own desire for fresh air and mental clarity. This shared recognition serves as the foundation for how their family approaches digital balance.

Nature as a Pathway to Connection

One of Angela’s most insightful reflections is the connection between nature and communication. Angela explains how getting outside and being more active in nature means that  “you can be more communicative,” with other people. 

It’s a powerful observation, especially from someone so young. Screens can offer shared experiences, but they also pull each person inward and away from others. Angela explains: “It’s good to be on the screen together, but everyone’s on an individual screen and not facing each other.” Outdoors, everything shifts; space opens up, faces turn toward each other instead of down towards a phone screen, and words that might otherwise come from a text or phone call are spoken directly. These shifts lead to conversations flowing much more naturally and easily as the digital barrier is removed.

Her mother agrees. Being outside “brings us closer,” she says—which allows green time to become family time as well..

Building Togetherness Through Outdoor Rituals

To support this family bonding, they have created outdoor rituals; they garden, read outside, enjoy picnics, and even have family movie nights under the night sky.

These purposeful moments of leaving technology behind invites connection and conversation in the family.This helps the family to relax and connect more than they would if they were all on their devices.

For this family, finding the proper balance isn’t about rejecting screens altogether. It’s about what Jenari calls “a marriage of the two”—using technology when it’s helpful, and stepping away when it’s time to reconnect. This allows them to keep their family time separate from their technology use. The balance lies in the way that the family does not simply ignore technology. They view it as an integral tool in day-to-day life, but they know that once the tool is no longer needed after work or school, it needs to be put away to focus on the more important things in life like family, friends, and getting outside..

And sometimes, as Angela reminds us, it begins with something as simple as stepping outside to breathe.