British families swap smartphones for sunsets after a wet winter

By Laura Wyatt-Smith, UK Director - Global Day of Unplugging UK and Author, Screensaver – A judgement-free guide to your child’s first smartphone.

Laura Wyatt-Smith enjoying a chat in the garden.

The UK has a well-established reputation for being damp and grey, but the nation has truly surpassed itself this year, with one town recording the longest unbroken spell of rainy days since measurements began in 1908. It is the mother of all understatements to say that this year - more than ever - Brits are done with the winter and dying to see some blue skies once again. That’s why this Global Day of Unplugging we are asking parents to put down their devices and take the family outdoors.

Why are parents unplugging?

In 2024 I spent a month in Silicon Valley and other parts of California researching the role of smartphones in childhood and learning about the powerful digital forces that are shaping family life back here in the UK.  I found that hard-working parents are doing their best but that the odds are stacked against them, and that grappling with the influence of addictive design features, algorithms and social media can feel like an uphill battle, especially when you put this alongside the need to work and other life pressures.

I also learned that as parents, our phone habits hugely inform our kids’ digital behaviour – and that nothing alienates our children from us more than being seen to be a hypocrite. Children told me that their number one complaint with parents was telling them to put their phone away, while not showing them the same courtesy. 

Except, of course, smartphones are not just a guilty pleasure for parents. They are tools that we use to organise our lives and stay connected with our friends. They have become so baked into day-to-day life that they feel impossible to put down or leave at home. In fact, when seeking feedback on early drafts of my new book, ‘Screensaver – A judgement-free guide to your child’s first smartphone’, the most striking messages from expert readers was how inspired they were to be a better role model for their children because they hadn’t realized how much their own phone use had been affecting their own wellbeing – never mind their kids.

While it is unrealistic for families to go totally screen-free in 2026, we can still gift ourselves an occasional break from the ‘always on’ nature of modern family life to pause and recharge ourselves. We parents deserve this break as much, if not more, than our kids. This is why this year on 6-7th March British families are being encouraged to put down their phone and other screens for an hour or more and head outside as a family instead. When they do, I think many parents may well be stunned at just how much their kids appreciate their uninterrupted presence. 

Henry Brydon of Outside Kids

Henry Brydon, Founder of Outside Kids, who is backing the campaign agrees.

"There’s a common misconception that adventuring with your kids requires loads of time, planning and money. It doesn’t. You can squeeze the same spirit of adventure into local, achievable experiences that create memories you’ll be laughing about around the dinner table for years.

All you need is curiosity, a willingness to give things a try, and to be fully present in the moment with your kids. That’s why this year on Global Day of Unplugging I will be leaving my phone at home and encouraging other Dads to do the same.”

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A new unplugged British bank holiday?

This isn’t just about individual action; Global Day of Unplugging UK is also fast becoming a call to arms for broader culture change, with ScrollAware launchinga new government petitionthis week for an offline ‘Less Scroll, More Soul’ UK Bank Holiday.

This campaign could not be more pertinent at a time when the UK Government is mid an urgent enquiry to explore a social-media ban for under-16s; when big-tech is on-trial for ‘addictive design’ on the West Coast and with the recent Channel 4 launch of the ‘Molly vs. the Machine’ documentary. But this is not just about children. Many adults are struggling to stop the scroll, and the business world toois paying a steep price, with rates of workplace distraction and burnout on a rapid upward trajectory. 

Jess Butcher of ScrollAware.

Britain has fewer bank holidays than almost any country in Europe and this holiday would be designed to be spent offline: out-of-office on, phones away - with the day reclaimed for in-person activities that support community initiatives or mental health.  Not anti-tech, but pro-human and pro-intentionality, as Jess Butcher MBE, CEO of ScrollAware, describes.

“This campaign isn’t for ‘yet another bank holiday’, it’s about a government-enforced reset, a day reclaimed from ‘hustle’ to highlight not only the grip tech has on us all but  remind us of what matters in a healthy, functioning society: people, place and presence.  I’m excited too about its potential to publicize the incredible ‘more soul’ work being done by local charities and volunteering organizations - bringing business together with local projects’. 

Screensaver – A judgement-free guide to your child’s first smartphone is being published in the UK by Profile Books and available to buy now in paperback and online via Kindle. 

Find out more about Laura Wyatt-Smith at www.laurawyattsmith.com.