Step away from the phone - national day to encourage ditching the phone

National No Phones At Home Day is celebrated on Saturday 20th January

Could you be without your mobile phone for the day? Would your children cope with no access to smart devices? Psychologist and psychotherapist, Dr Charlotte Armitage is putting forward the challenge with National No Phones at Home Day on Saturday 20th January.

Founder of the national day, and No Phones at Home CIC, Charlotte hopes the day acts as a catalyst to reflect on our device use and replace the scrolling and posting with alternative activities that encourage families to spend time together; to talk, think, laugh and play.

Charlotte said: “We are living in a world dominated by technology that is having increasingly detrimental implications on our psychological wellbeing and development. Our children are facing a mental health epidemic and increasing psychological and neurological challenges. The growing evidence suggests that our addiction and reliance on smart devices has a significant part to play in this dire situation we find ourselves in.

We need to take back ownership, become more aware of our actions and behaviours in relation to our smart device use, and make changes so we can live with this technology in a happier, healthier way.”

Through her professional work, and personal experiences, the single parent passionately believes we are now at a critical point in society when significant cultural change needs to be made in order to protect the mental wellbeing and development of the younger generations.

“Key skills which comprise the art of relationships are being lost as we become a society of individuals who are face down in their smart phones, favouring online interactions and mindless scrolling over communicating in person. Children need to understand how to resolve conflict, be respectful of one another, and communicate face to face with others – all which smart devices limit.

It is my aim to encourage every family to carve out dedicated time away from smart devices at home and hopefully this day will be the instigator of that.”

In the lead up to the day, Charlotte is hosting an in person Q&A event in Leeds, along with an online session, on Wednesday 17th January for parents and carers to ask questions about the impact of device use and how we can navigate safer usage within our lives.

For ideas on how to spend your phone free day, event details and for further insight into the impact technology is having on children, head to www.nophonesathomeday.com or via their Instagram @nophonesathome #NPAH