By Kerri Kreh Reda, M.P.H.
America loves digital devices; it seems we can’t get enough time with our screens (television, smartphones, tablets, computers, etc.) According to a 2018 Nielsen report, adults 18 years of age and older spend more than 11 hours per day listening to, watching, reading, or interacting with media. Our teens aren’t doing much better; according to Commonsense Media, teens spend 9 hours per day using digital media. Young children, ages 8-12, are spending 6 hours per day, and even our youngest children (0-8 years) are on screens nearly 1 hour per day.
Screen-Free Week, previously known as “Turn off the TV Week”, is April 29-May 5, 2019. This week is an opportunity for individuals and families, young and old, to rediscover the joys of life beyond the virtual world we have been living in. By committing to unplugging from all digital entertainment, you will have more time to play, exercise, read, sleep, connect with friends, enjoy nature, and much more.
Here are five good reasons to participate in Screen-Free Week from “The Greater Good Magazine: Science-Based Insights for a Meaningful Life”, UC Berkeley:
- Present-moment awareness
- Better sleep
- Richer connections
- Productivity and learning
- Breaking the habit
For the full article, “Five Reasons to Take a Break from Screens”, visit: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_reasons_to_take_a_break_from_screens
For more information on Screen-Free Week, go to: https://www.screenfree.org
For the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for screen time, visit: https://healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Where-We-Stand-TV-Viewing-Time.aspx
Check out “Device Free Dinner with Will Ferrell” on You Tube.
Kerri Kreh Reda, M.P.H., is a Human Development Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program. She can be reached at 631-727-7850 ext. 330 or at kkr5@cornell.edu.