Will Ferrell stars as a phone-addicted dad and we totally relate

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âAs long as itâs still in the basket though, I can technically still touch it, right?â ?
According to a new report from Common Sense Media, daily hand-held screen time for kids younger than 8 years old is up from an average of five minutes in 2011 to 48 minutes today. And itâs little wonder where they pick up on that habit. (Be honest: How many times have you checked Instagram today?)
Thatâs why Common Sense Mediaâs new #DeviceFreeDinner campaign is important for everyone in the familyâas Will Ferrell hilariously and poignantly demonstrates in a series of public service announcements.
According to recent studies by both eMarketer and Flurry, the average American adult spends more than four hours per day on his phoneâwith half or more of that time devoted to scanning social media, with other big chunks devoted to reading articles, watching videos or communicating.
At the very least, that means we should also be game for a #DeviceFreeDinner. Along with Common Sense Mediaâs campaign, the nonprofit offers resources for planning your media-free meal in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Their tips for breaking your own device addiction:
- Keep a list of âthings to Google laterâ
- Tame your device by putting on âdo not disturbâ or using automatic text responses
- Control âphantom vibrate modeâ by putting your phone on the other side of the room
- Use parental controls to set screen-free times for yourself
- When you use your phone, use it for goodâlike with a mindfulness app
And while the subject of phone addiction isnât a laughing matterâthe example we set for our children is importantâweâve got to appreciate the way Ferrell illustrates the pitfalls of phones in the new PSAs.
So, tonight, how about following Ferrellâs lead by tucking away that phone before tucking into a big meal? Just make sure the basket is really off-limits.
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