Digital Detox: Local school challenges others to go 24 hours screen free

Can you go a day without checking your phone or watching tv? This weekend a local school just took part in a national challenge to step away from the screen for 24 hours—with a goal of focusing the outdoors and face to face interaction.

From communicating to watching videos and scrolling on social media, Americans spend hours on their screens every day.

“It’s just addicting,” said Jill Spatola in Boston. “It really is just like looking at your screen is just something to do.”

That’s why a national challenge called ‘The Reset’ asked people to do a digital detox for 24 hours.

“I don’t think I could do it, I would certainly try, but I wouldn’t make it more than an hour,” said Spatola.

“Any time to get away from the current state of things is definitely a welcomed opportunity,” said Monica Pereira, a mother of two young boys.

“I don’t have social media,” said Sean Conlon in Boston. “It’s the greatest thing that I’ve done since probably 2010.”

“I can’t go anywhere without my phone,” said Sylvia McKinney, the CEO and President of the Cathleen Stone Island Outward Bound School.

But as the CEO and President of the Cathleen Stone Island Outward Bound School in Boston—McKinney says once her students get on the island—the phones go into a bag.

“We don’t want kids to be on technology when they’re with us,” said McKinney. “They can’t, you know, in my opinion, you can’t breathe the air. You can’t sort of see the sun rise. You can sort of the sun go down, right? Because the phone has taken up all of our energies.”

The Cathleen Stone Island Outward Bound School partners with Boston Public Schools and other districts in the area. It offers outdoor programming and stem activities for students, all screen free.

“We want them to trust their instincts around what works and what doesn’t work,” said McKinney.

And for one day, the Outward-Bound program is challenging everyone to do what they do, go outside and interact with others in person and ditch the phone.

“We’re hoping that what they will learn is that they need it when it’s important, but they don’t have to have it on their bodies all the time,” said McKinney. “It should be a tool and not become a way in which they become reliant on it.”

Americans check their phones 186 times a day, that’s almost 12 times an hour, according to reviews.org. The CDC found one half of teens spend four hours or more on screens daily, and one in four of those teens experienced anxiety and depression symptoms.

“I can’t imagine it’s a lot of fun, just to be sitting in front of a screen 24-7, right?” said McKinney. “So allow yourself to have that space, be with your family, be with friends, have genuine conversation, be authentic.”

McKinney says while technology has accelerated learning, it doesn’t replace interpersonal relationships, and others agree.

“I have two young boys and I think it’s really important to spend quality time when we’re not looking at our phones,” said Pereira.

“Think of all the creative things that you did before social media,” said Conlon. “Think about all the friends you saw before social media and if you actually cared to see them or if you wanted them to see your pictures, you’d see them in person.”

The Reset’s goal was to reach 10 million people. McKinney encourages anyone to try it anytime, but she says they are likely going to hold more challenges in the future.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW