Why Unplugging Matters
We’ve heard a lot in the headlines lately that point to the value of taking a break from devices. If you have children or grandchildren, you may appreciate this poignant and touching PSA from the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign.
Author Anne Lamott writes, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” After taking a break from technology as a community, we gain an appreciation for the role that it plays in our lives and we are better equipped to establish healthier tech habits going forward.
Take a listen to some of our advisors and partners explain how screens, devices and social media have had an impact on us.
They answer the question WHY UNPLUG to share a smile, encourage self-care, find better mental health and engage in real conversation.
Research shows that health and human connection have been adversely impacted by overuse of technology.
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On average, children ages 8-12 in the United States spend 4-6 hours a day watching or using screens. Teens spend up to 9 hours. American Academy of Pediatrics Feb. 2020.
About three-in-ten U.S. adults say they are ‘almost constantly’ online - Pew Research Center, March 2021
Adults 65+ watch the most TV @ 4+ hrs a day -Statista Sept 2, 2022.
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Six out of 10 adults are concerned about the influence technology has on their relationship with their children, and nearly one out of four wish they had more information about technology and parenting, but don’t know where to turn. Dr. David Schramm with Utah State University Extension
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Blue Light Issues have been found to:
suppress production of melatonin (hormone that controls your sleep/wake cycle).
keep your brain alert with notifications, chimes, calendar alerts and texts
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Childhood myopia (near sightedness) has doubled in last 50 years – USC, January 22, 2016
Obesity/weight gain – study of teens found they are twice as likely to drink a sugary drink each day, to not get enough sleep or exercise and 43% more likely to be obese—compared with teens who spent less time with screen devices - Journal of Pediatrics March 1, 2017
Typical texting tilt - exerts a force on the spine of nearly 50 - 60 pounds
Research of children’s brains found:
kids 2+ hrs a day of screen time, score lower on language and thinking tests.
kids 7+ hrs a day show a thinning of the brain's cortex, which manages critical thinking and reasoning. National Institutes of Health Study – Apr 13, 2021
Some stats and resources for families, educators and more:
Childhood is more sedentary and fundamentally changing. Here are some stats including the latest with AI which is being baked into our lives very quickly:
Half as many kids are riding bikes as in the 90's. Of them, only 5% ride frequently.
Teens are delaying “Adulting” activities - getting a paying job, a drivers license or dating.
75% percent of Americans (ages 17-24) are ineligible for military service because of obesity, mental health issues or criminal backgrounds.
By age 2, 40% of children own their own tablet. By age 5 the number rises to 58%.
On average, kids 8-18 in the US spend 7 1/2 hours a day watching or using screens.
46% of teens say they are online almost constantly.
Over a billion people use AI chatbots regularly. ChatGPT went from 100 million users in Nov 2023 to 800+million weekly users as of Oct. 5, 2025.
72% of U.S. teens have used an AI companion at least once. 52% are regular users.
Bots account for nearly half of all internet traffic globally. ⅓ are so-called “bad bots”.
58% of tweens/75% of teens encountered nudity or content of a sexual nature online.
Nearly 1/3 of teens have been exposed to online porn during the school day.
Over 25 clothing removal or “Undress AI” apps exist. Many are marketed to youth & have free versions.
1 in 5 teens reported experiencing sextortion and 30 US boys (ages 13-17) died by suicide as a result of sextortion scams since 2021.
An MIT EEG study found that using ChatGPT lowers brain engagement.
Wearable devices (pendants, AI glasses, earpieces, smart calculators and smart pens) are on the rise, and products that can be used for cheating.
72% of US high school teachers report cell phones are a major problem in classrooms.
More resources from digital wellness groups/organizations:
Fairplay / Screen Time Action Network has many resources including a collection of guides, toolkits, and other materials created to help parents, educators, and other professionals promote healthy screen habits in children. It includes resources for specific age groups, such as a kit for early childhood, and topics like managing screens in schools and for teenagers and how to advocate for opting out of ed tech in the classroom.
Common Sense Media resource library provides detailed, age-based information and includes additional resources like articles, blogs, and educational materials to support parents and educators in navigating the digital world.
Anxious Generation Movement - Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book The Anxious Generation sparked a global conversation that grew into TAG, a movement advancing four new norms to rewire childhood and roll back the phone-based childhood. Website also has a library of practical tools — from guides and toolkits to books, podcasts, and more.
Screenagers - resources include four films, discussion guides, lesson plans, and online resources like blog posts and articles. Additional resources for managing screen time, such as contracts and app recommendations, as well as mental health and social-emotional learning (SEL) tools and information are available.
The Digital Mom Lab - offers on-demand courses and personal coaching for parents. Whether you’re dealing with group chat, social media, video games or parental controls, learn HOW to manage them safely and realistically. Courses include Tweens & Tech, All About Apple, Video Games 101 and Snapchat 101 with more resources being added all the time.
Screen Time Consultant - Emily Cherkin offers resources to help parents opt out of, or advocate against, Ed Tech in the classroom.
Phone Free Schools Movement - offers toolkits for administrators, parents, and advocates wanting to go phone-free.
Smart Phone Free Childhood - offers toolkits, flyers, community calls, and a phone-free schools database, in addition to the PSA shown above.
Let Grow movement - for childhood independence, provides resources to help children develop resilience, confidence, and self-reliance. They offer free programs, tools, and legislative advocacy for parents, schools, and communities.
Screen Strong - empowers families to prevent screen addiction and reclaim their kids from problematic screen use (social media, video games, and pornography). Our solutions replace toxic screen use with healthy activities, life skill development, and family connections.
ScreenSense - Is a local movement with info that encourages parents to slow down the introduction of smartphones and social media to their children. Kids IRL is a local initiative for in-person gatherings for residents of Marin County California.
Distraction Free Schools - is a policy project and a growing coalition of parents, educators, and school administrators united in calling for legislative action and policy changes to address the overuse of smartphones, social media, and School-Tech in our nation's schools. They are mobilizing and training state-based coalitions across the country to advocate for distraction-free schools.
Wait until 8th - is a pledge campaign that encourages parents to delay the smartphone until the end of 8th grade.
Center for Humane Tech - puts on the “Your Undivided Attention” podcast and many resources including a Youth Toolkit, a free "online textbook" for students and educators to understand the effects of persuasive technology.
The Balance Project - aims to help parents and communities give children the building blocks of healthy development and the skillsets they need to thrive in our ever-evolving modern society.
Healthy Screen Habits - on a mission to empower families to create healthy habits for screen use, and to maintain technology as a tool– never as a replacement– for human connection. They enable tweens, teens, families, and students to decide for themselves how they will use technology in their lives.
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) - is a partnership between the FBI and the public to provide a convenient reporting mechanism for crimes committed over the internet. It is used to report cyber-enabled crimes, frauds, and scams to the FBI.
Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children, is a nonprofit that builds technology to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. It uses a combination of technology, research, and partnerships to help identify victims, stop the spread of illegal content, and develop safety frameworks for online platforms and law enforcement.
Heat Initiative - is an advocacy group and collective working to hold tech companies accountable for ignoring child sexual abuse on their devices and platforms.
Culture Reframed - helps build resilience/resistance in young people to hypersexualized media and adult films. Countering the adult film crisis by offering education to promote healthy development. Website contains research, resources and courses for parents.
News Literacy Program - is for K-12 students so they can learn to spot credible news sources, detect misinfo/disinfo and have the ability to participate in civic society as well-informed, critical thinkers.