No Phones at Home started as an awareness day in 2022. The aim of National No Phones at Home Day is to encourage people to disconnect from the devices and focus on spending time together, interacting in real life and to see how that feels. Since we started in 2022, No Phones at Home was incorporated as a community interest company. We have had the support of broadcasters such as the BBC who are creating a mini-series about our work, and of many amazing influencers who appreciate the value of time away from devices, especially for children.
Furthermore, we are working with local councils and schools to educate teachers and those with child caring responsibilities about the impact of device use on psychological development and mental health. Despite our name, we recognise that phones and devices are an integral part of our lives and are realistic about this.
We appreciate that removing phones isn’t always an option, therefore we aim to encourage setting realistic boundaries and limits on device use, especially for children, whilst providing education surrounding how to do this.
If you are interested in hearing more about No Phones at Home services, you can contact us at: [email protected].
National No Phones at Home Day
18th January 2025
On National No Phones at Home Day, we will be encouraging all parents to consciously turn their phones off, to switch ipads and devices off, and to undertake activities to connect with their children. Through my own explorations, I have found that the behaviour of my child and our relationship improved instantly when devices were removed, and focus was placed on doing tasks together. As adults, we all know how frustrating it is to be snubbed by someone favouring a device over listening to us, and we cannot underestimate the impact that this will have on our children’s sense of worth and wellbeing.
“For our happiness and survival, we need depth of relationships. We need to understand how to resolve conflict, how to tolerate differences, how to be respectful of one another, how to communicate face to face with other people. These skills which comprise the art of relationships are being lost as we become a society of individuals who are face down in their smart phones, favouring online interactions and mindless scrolling over communicating in person. It is my aim through National No Phones at Home Day to encourage families to put the phone away and focus on connecting with their children at home. Undertaking activities together, this can be something as simple as sorting the kitchen cupboard out or folding clothes, or it could be baking, drawing, playing a game; anything that encourages families to connect with each other without devices around. If we can all spend more time away from devices over time and more time connecting with each other, we can help to support the healthy psychological development of our children. Mobile phones are known for impacting the mental health and attitudes of us all, this is especially dangerous for young people because they are more susceptible to the impact of the dangers online, furthermore this toxic online world replaces their healthy foundation which is dangerous for so many reasons. It is my aim to encourage every family to spend at least a day a week without phones at home.”
1 in 5 smartphone users spends upwards of 4.5 hours on average on their phones every day.
Daily average screen time for females is approximately 2 hours 47 minutes, compared to 2 hours 34 minutes for males.
78% of females claim to spend more time on their smartphones than their partners.
Males also believe they spend more time on their smartphones than their partners, a lower proportion claimed to do so (64%).
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Become a No Phones at Home Day Ambassador
Are you conscious of the need to reduce time spent on smart devices?
We’re looking for people to join our community who are passionate about raising awareness around the impact of social devices on our mental and psychological wellbeing. Perhaps you have a family, work in education, the community, with young people or an organisation looking to make a positive difference in society?
If you’d like to know more about our ambassador programme, please do get in touch.
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