Inspire Community Change

Be the mobilizer your local community needs

Imagine all the ways your community can support families on the journey to healthy tech use.  Families don’t live in isolation — they interact with and are shaped by their local communities.  Start small, creating a ripple that nudges your local community towards healthy tech use. Consider the ideas below and pick any that resonate!

Make Your Street a Place to Play!

Bring life and vibrance to your neighborhood street by transforming your block into an accessible space for neighbors of all ages to enjoy. Find inspiration from:

• Playing Out - a parent- and resident-led movement in the UK restoring children's freedom to play out in the streets where they live -- for their health, happiness, and sense of belonging.

• The Neighbourhood Play Project - an Australian organization mobilizing community members to activate their neighborhoods as places for children to play. They have an inspiring film and printable resources to get started!

• Play Streets - an organization in San Francisco transforming city blocks into play spaces on a regular basis for children, seniors, and neighbors to enjoy.

Co-create Suggested Community Norms and Etiquette

Enlist neighbors and other locals to co-create tech tips for your community.

Perhaps try polling folks for ideas via a neighborhood platform like Nextdoor.com. You could offer some starter ideas for others to react to and enhance with their input. For example:

• Tech safety tips might include eyes up (no phone use) while crossing the road, driving, and biking.

• Tech courtesies could include earbuds out to say hello to a passing neighbor, phones stowed while checking out with a store’s cashier, and so forth.

Just initiating a conversation locally will get people thinking about how they use technology in public spaces.

Encourage Tech-wise Youth Programs and Summer Camps

Gather leaders of local youth-serving organizations and summer camps.

Brainstorm how to support local young people by providing screen-free or tech-wise opportunities.  Program leaders can co-create agreements around mobile phone use during scheduled programming and trouble-shoot common issues faced by programs and camps serving young people in the digital age.

Engage Restaurants in the Collective Pursuit of Screen-free Experiences

Approach your favorite family-friendly restaurant and encourage them to consider how their restaurant might support local community members seeking a screen-free dining experience. For example:

• A restaurant could offer one night a month as a special screen-free night: the large screens could be turned off, and patrons could be challenged to stow their phones during their meal. Inspiration may come from this NYC restaurant that offers patrons the choice to unplug with a vintage box on each table.

• Perhaps community-building challenges could be listed by the front door - e.g., “introduce yourself to at least one other table tonight.”

• Consider providing special supplies for children like coloring, Wikki Stix or simple games to borrow. Or, restaurants could partner with a local toy or craft store to co-produce and sell a “restaurant survival tote bag” for families with screen-free items to occupy their young children while at a restaurant. Find ideas for tote bag content here.

Encourage Pediatricians and Other Health Providers to Promote Healthy Tech Use

Consider telling your local pediatricians and health care providers about our ScreenSense website where they can direct families to find tools and tips to support healthy tech use — available for free to families everywhere!

If they don’t already, encourage your local pediatrician to discuss with their patients healthy tech use, along with their conversations about healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise.

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