Striking a Balance: How Social Media Influences National Park Attendance Among Students

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Striking a Balance: How social media influences National Park attendance among students

A new study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows a 25% increase in national park attendance since 2010. The study also says this high increase in visitors to the U.S. National Parks is attributed to social media exposure.

As summer approaches, students are likely to spend more time on screens without the structure of school, and this study highlights how social media and technology can effectively bridge the gap between our online and offline worlds. Recognizing how social media and outdoor activities can influence one another, educators can help students strike a balance and use technology to enhance well-being and inspire exploration.

Helping students strike a balance with social media and spend more time outdoors

Researchers found that when national parks have high social media exposure, such as captivating photos and a large following on Instagram and X, they tend to have increased attendance. In fact, many of the most visited National Parks have popular social media accounts. For example, Yellowstone National Park has 1.4 million followers, while Yosemite National Park boasts 1.9 million followers. The surge in national park visits driven by social media highlights a positive trend: social media can inspire real-world action, motivating students who follow these accounts to explore and engage with nature.

And this isn’t much of a surprise. In fact, a study discovered that 57% of Gen Zers with summer plans look to social media to help them prepare for their travel. Social media is changing the way that students learn about the world around them and discover new places to visit. We huddled up with one student who shared, “I have a bucket list of places I want to travel that I’ve discovered from my TikTok page. I get videos from travel influencers, and whenever I see a place I want to go to or a new restaurant, I just share them with my friends and family.”

Understanding how students use social media not just to connect with friends but also to discover new outdoor places can help teachers support them better. Educators can work with students to find ways to balance their time online with time spent outside. This can help students use their technology in a healthy and positive way.

Social media often gets a bad rap and is the scapegoat for many challenges students face. But, a recent study highlights “connection with friends and their global community” on social media as a way to improve student health. The increase in National Park attendance study is a positive trend that we can use to empower our students to use social media in ways that connect us with the outdoors. Here are some helpful apps students can use this summer to do so:

• AllTrails: AllTrails is like a treasure map for outdoor adventures. It’s an app that helps users discover cool hiking trails, biking paths, and places to explore in their areas. It has specific details about each trail, such as how long it is, and how difficult it may be, and even has reviews from other people who have been there.
• Strava: Strava is a physical exercise tracking app where users can track their workouts, virtually high-fiving friends for their accomplishments, and find trails nearby.
• The NPS App: The National Park Service app has tools to explore over 400 national parks nationwide. It provides interactive maps, tours of parks, and information to plan your adventures straight from your phone.

With so many online tools to choose from, students can integrate technology with outdoor activities, making it easier to explore nature and stay active. Educators can encourage students to find this balance, especially during the summer break, so that they are using tech in a way that supports their well-being.

TSI’s Take

As summer draws near, students often find themselves looking for ways to fill their time online by connecting with friends, finding new trends, and staying up to date on the latest news. To help students strike a balance with tech and engage with the outdoors this summer, educators can share several actionable strategies with students in the classroom.

• Promote Outdoor Activities: Encourage summer projects that require students to explore their local environment and document their findings both virtually or even through a hand-written journal.
• Encourage Social Media Breaks: Ask students to consider taking a social media break similar to L.L. Bean’s initiative to focus on physical activity and enjoying nature. For the third year in a row, L.L. Bean’s social media pages are quiet for the entire month of May. This initiative, “Go Off the Grid,“ for Mental Health Awareness Month, demonstrates that stepping away from screens and into the outdoors can enhance mental health and well-being. L.L. Bean’s approach shows the importance of taking social media breaks to prioritize real-world experiences and connections.
• Share Positive Online Spaces: Highlight accounts like the National Park Service’s Instagram and apps like AllTrails that inspire students to explore their local parks and nature spaces, improving their well-being. When looking for inspiring accounts that promote outdoor adventures, consider the National Park Service Instagram account. Sharing adventures and nature experiences on social platforms can be a powerful tool for students to engage in, promoting well-being.

At The Social Institute, we believe that social media can be a positive tool for good, and when we equip students with the tools to strike a balance, they can thrive online and offline. By integrating these strategies, educators can guide students towards an enriching summer that balances the benefits of both technology and the great outdoors. For more information on striking a balance with technology, check out TSI’s complimentary resource School Playbook: Educators’ Role in Empowering Students to Strike a Balance with Technology.

The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.