A support and advice website for families is pushing for a National Unplugging Day to take place in the UK on the 28th of June which will encourage parents and youngsters to disconnect from the web and put down their smartphones, laptops and other electrical items for a full 24 hours.
A similar scheme was employed in the United States in March with some reasonable success and MyFamilyClub.co.uk is hoping the same can go ahead over here – thus saving families a bit of money on their electrical bills and also allowing them to enjoy other activities that don’t involve being glued to a screen.
And it’s not just the younger generation that National Unplugging Day is aimed at. Mums and dads are also a big part of the reason for the one day amnesty on gadgets. My Family Club reports that in a study of 6,000 people the average parent uses a mobile device 240 times a day – amassing a total of at least four hours a day. They believe the tech-addiction by all ages is damaging to family relationships and that digital interaction between people breaks down communication skills. Most Facebook users will have probably grit their teeth at what’s become of the English language at some point.
My Family Club will be suggesting ideas on how to spend National Unplugging Day (read a book, go for swim, don’t chew your arm off etc.) as well as running competitions on its website to promote the campaign and encourages those in support to hit up social media with the hashtag #GoGadgetFree.
And yes, we note the irony of that last bit, but we’re pretty sure they mean do it before the 28th of June when the power goes off for 24 hours and you might actually have to spend quality time with your nearest and dearest!
Go on, it’s just for a day.