National Day Of Unplugging

National Day of Unplugging

National Day of Unplugging is the First Friday of March each year. So it’s the 1 March this year. It is a day that encourages us to try a digital detox and not use our technology for 24 hours. Their goal is to have you spend an entire day without electronics, especially smartphones. The idea is to give us a chance to realise the impact these technologies have on our lives.

The first National Day of Unplugging event was back in 2009. It started with small groups of people getting together for tech-free dinners. Today this holiday has partners all around the world who sponsor live unplugged events every year.

Technology

It is no secret that we are using digital devices more and more, and screen time is increasing every year. You can have your mobile phone produce a report of how much you use it. And the results can often be quite surprising, if not alarming. Did you know:

• Globally, people spend an average of 6 hrs and 58 min per day looking at screens. 
• The highest national average screen time is South Africa, with an average of 10 hrs and 46 min. Other countries coming in over 10 hours are Brazil, Colombia and The Philippines. 
• Countries such as the USA, The United Kingdom, and Singapore have seen a reduction in the average screen time over the past year. Perhaps due to the effect of this day.
• Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) have the highest screen time, averaging 9 hrs a day. 

Always Connected

Smartphones and computers have given us many incredible things. Such as connection to the internet. This means that we have access to an immense amount of communication, information and entertainment. However, these benefits also comes with some negative consequences. We forget to connect with people in real life. Or we are always worried about making our lives look perfect on social media and we sleep less.