The paper analyses the problem of leisure time in local communities on the islands of the Zadar Archipelago (Iž, Dugi Otok, Ugljan). The model for the analysis was provided by an empirical survey carried out on the population of three Zadar islands in autumn 2001. In researching the migration dilemmas of the young population on the three Zadar islands, the methods used were a questionnaire and interviews (essays written by pupils). The questionnaire contained 39 questions, with possible answers provided in regard to important segments of island issues and the way in which young islanders perceived them. The questionnaire was filled out by 107 elementary and secondary school pupils from Ugljan, Iž and Dugi Otok. The following independent variables were used in the analysis of the empirical material: school (elementary – secondary), island of residence (Ugljan – Dugi Otok – Iž) and gender (male – female). Leisure time is a pressing issue for people in the (post)modern epoch. How should it be utiilsed and how can one utilise it without becoming a passive recipient of exterior content, and thus an object of manipulation of powerful groups, from political groups to economical ones? Play, as a form of self-realisation in opposition to mass-media messages and contents, becomes, in this sense, one of the best solutions in utilising leisure time. This applies especially to the young population. The research results confirm that most pupils, despite their obligations (school and extra-school obligations, travelling) have sufficient leisure time. Elementary school pupils are less burdened by obligations and have more leisure time. The situation is different for secondary school pupils, whose burdens and duties already significantly reduce time for play, entertainment and relaxation. The main reasons for a lack of leisure time in both groups are school obligations. The ways of spending leisure time are quite various; however passive forms (watching TV programmes, listening to music) predominate. Modern and even post-modern communication forms are already present even on the islands. Pupils spend their time behind various technological devices that create virtual reality. The scarcity of young people on the islands, together with the civilisational trend in this sphere, only increases the presence of passive forms of spending leisure time.