National Day of Unplugging (NDU), now in it’s 11th year, starts at sundown March 6th and goes until sundown, March 7th.
Please join me in my digital detox as I take the pledge to unplug. I, like many others, am overly reliant on technology, particularly hand-held devices. I feel I need to slow down my increasingly hectic life and focus more on being present. How about you?
“We increasingly miss out on the important moments of our lives as we pass the hours with our noses buried in our devices.” the NDU organization boldly states on their website.
The world today does not seem to have much of a tech/life balance. According to bankmycell.com, the number of smartphone users is now at 3.5 billion worldwide. Recent studies show the average smartphone user taps, swipes or clicks their phone 2617 times per day. Most of this behavior starts immediately when waking up in the morning. As technology related anxiety and lonliness rises, we need to model healthy behavior for our children and make it a point not to be connected all the time. Children were not born plugged in; they learn this behavior. Let’s teach them about healthy tech device use the same way we teach about other healthy behaviors such as good nutrition and exercise.
Take the pledge – sign up to participate on nationaldayofunplugging.com, and you will receive your free toolkit to get started. The toolkit includes activity guides, conversation starters and “I unplug to” signs.
