Nature Deficiency

Nature Deficiency is a non-medical term used to describe the recent phenomenon of diminishing outdoor play and recreation for children in lieu of more “safe,” structured, indoor activities and play groups. It was coined in Richard Louv's 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, in which he makes the claim that a convergence of issues—parental fears, fewer open spaces, busy schedules, and the increased prevalence of media in the home—is keeping youths indoors to an excessive degree. This deprivation of the natural world, he asserts, can contribute to attention-deficit disorders and childhood depression.

[Back to A-Z]