The Impact of Smartphone Use on Participant Outcomes in Outdoor Recreation

Authors

  • Jerry Anthony Schexnayder III University of Georgia
  • B. Bynum Boley University of Georgia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/JOREL-2026-13078

Keywords:

Smartphone usage, outdoor adventure education, outdoor adventure recreation program, technology, social benefits

Abstract

Despite the saturation of academic literature espousing the benefits of outdoor recreation (OR) and the potential downsides of smartphone usage, there is a dearth of research regarding the impact of smartphone use on OR experiences. This paper presents an experiment conducted to determine if smartphone use on OR trips affect participants’ psychological, social, educational, and physical outcomes. Sixty-eight participants on overnight university-led OR backpacking trips were split between a treatment group encouraging participants to leave smartphones behind and giving them guidance on appropriate versus inappropriate smartphone use in the backcountry and a control group receiving no smartphone guidance. Results revealed no significant relationship between smartphone usage and measured OR outcomes at the construct level; however, the treatment group self-reported making more friends than the control group. These results carry important implications for OR practitioners regarding how to make policy decisions regarding participant smartphone use on outdoor trips.

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Published

2026-06-08

Issue

Online First

Section

Regular Papers

License

Sagamore Publishing LLC (hereinafter the “Copyright Owner”)

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