National No Phones at Home Day
Disconnecting from screens, it's like hitting the refresh button for your mind, offering a break from the digital noise of today.
Position screen-free family time as a wellness trend and promote analog products, board games, books, and outdoor gear as alternatives to digital entertainment.
- Board game night bundles: 'Unplug together' family game sets
- Book club starter kits for families looking to replace screen time
- Outdoor activity gear promotion: hiking, nature walks, and unplugged adventures
- Mental wellness angle: 'Digital detox' wellness packages for parents managing tech anxiety
Many people don’t realize what a negative impact technology can have on mental health, especially for children and young adults.
Founded by registered psychotherapist and media psychologist, Charlotte Armitage, National No Phones at Home Day offers a time of rest and pause away from technology.
While technology focuses on instant gratification, mindless scrolling and leveling up, people are missing out on the important foundations of deepening relationships and communicating face to face.
Taking a break from technology by establishing boundaries around the use of phones offers kids and teens the opportunity to develop their other important interpersonal and relationship skills.
National No Phones at Home Day offers the opportunity for family members to connect over substantial activities and projects that grow skills and perhaps even yield results.
From drawing and baking to cleaning out a closet, this can be a time that is productive and helpful for children as well as adults!
Put Those Phones Away
As difficult as it can feel, especially in a family with teens or tweens who may feel like they’ll die if they miss out (the FOMO is real!), taking a day as a family to put away the phones is a great idea. In fact, it’s good not only on this day of the year, but it can also be a healthy habit on a regular basis whether practiced weekly, monthly, or as just an hour or two each evening. Of course, giving the kids some advance warning and discussing the reasons behind it will help them to get used to the idea ahead of time – and maybe even help them get excited about it!
Engage in Unplugged Activities
It’s amazing how freeing, satisfying, and enjoyable it can be to get away from the smart phones for a little while and just be present in the room. Instead, choose quality unplugged time by playing a board game together, enjoying reading a book (out loud is great), taking a walk in nature or engaging in some other hobby or activity that everyone can enjoy – without access to the internet or anything outside of the present moment and space. Looking for other ideas to celebrate days that go along with this theme? Check out the Global Day of Unplugging on the first Friday of March or Information Overload Day that falls in October.