Area group using unique approach to help family’s reduce screen time

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County Prevention Coalition is starting a campaign to help battle social media addiction.

The campaign, Digital Detox 937, takes the form of a billboard visible on I-75 Northbound in Moraine. The coalition is asking for families to share pictures of themselves talking and interacting without any phones, computers, or tablets.

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“We’re spending a lot of time on screens during the day and then we see families go home and do the same thing, back on their screens,” Collen Oakes, Manager of the Montgomery County Prevention Coalition said.

The goal of the campaign is to show people that being addicted to social media can be just as dangerous and mentally unhealthy as drugs, alcohol, or gambling addictions.

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“We present our best selves on social media and that is not always the truth. There is a lot of comparison, and bullying can happen if we see what we are left out of,” Oakes said.

The tech-free challenge will be going on throughout this month. It offers a chance for people to have fun with their loved ones without involving technology. People are encouraged to take a picture with their friends and families, and send it to #DigitalDetox937!. That photo might end up on the Digital Detox billboard.

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The target audience of this campaign is primarily younger people.

“We see a lot of anxiety and mental health issues come from social media for our kids,” Oakes said.

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According to the Coalition, signs of technology addiction include feeling a constant need to check your phone, using technology to avoid school or family time, and feeling distressed, anxious, and depressed when you are away from your devices. Technology addiction can even lead to suicide.

“So, right now, it is the #1 cause of death in Montgomery County, for our youth,” Oakes said.

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The Coalition told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell that time away from technology and social media is a healthy start toward better mental health, and that they hope this is a way to help people fight back against that and protect their mental health.

“Your emails, your social media notifications, they will all be there when you get back,” Oakes said.

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