BENGALURU : With an aim to bring children and parents closer and keep them away from phones, #Gadgetfreehour – a social awareness campaign – is getting families to come together on Children’s Day and spend an hour together, free of gadgets.
The campaign, launched by Parent Circle, a private company, has gone viral with over 58,000 schools, firms, endorsements by celebrities, achievers and authors taking part in it. Many parents have taken a pledge to follow it. “You can use technology for A,B,C but if you decide to use technology for A to Z, that’s when you run into problems” says Rajesh Vishwanatahan, senior vice president of Parent Circle.
Hotels like Galaxy Club in Bengaluru have also decided to be part of the campaign where they will give discounts to families who keep away their gadgets and enjoy their time. Lyson Peas, author of Parental Bloopers: Learning to Laugh While Parenting and a supporter of the initiative, says he has raised his six-year-old Rishaal and four-year-old Anaira in a way that they use less gadgets.
“Whenever a kid watches TV or fiddles with a mobile phone, their thought process goes for a toss. Campaigns like this are needed for children and for a healthy relationship among family members.” Roopa Mane, a mother of two, says “If we keep phones aside for an hour and spend quality time with each other playing carrom, it will be a great evening. This is a thoughtful step. Also, 7:30-8:30 pm is a good time as it is convenient for all of us.”