Tomorrow, many people around the globe will be disconnecting from screens and technology for an extended period of time.
The Global Day of Unplugging is held on the first Saturday of March, promoting offline interactions and activities instead. This event is part of the Unplug Movement, promoting real-world interactions.
Unplug Collaborative, a nonprofit organization, helps organize and promote large scale tech-free gatherings for the holiday. According to their website, the closest gathering to Del Mar is on Saturday at 2 p.m., hosted by Unplug and Play Collective. People may also organize their own gatherings and register them on Unplug Collaborative’s website.
However, individuals can participate on a smaller scale by simply pledging to not use their phone for a couple of hours.
Senior Raiden Asher Davis said he plans to leave his phone on the charger and sleep early instead of staying up late.
Some other students, like freshman Minh Vo, are not that concerned about their phone usage.
“I don’t care about it. It is what it is,” Vo said. Though she also thinks that excessive screen time leads to “brain rot.”
In these digital times, teenagers’ increasing phone addiction can have negative effects.
“Their attention span is getting worse, and their addiction to like, oh my goodness, I need to reach in my pocket and grab my phone for everything. And you can’t get them to focus and to stay off their screen,” teacher Jim McVey said.
With the Global Day of Unplugging approaching, it’s a chance for everyone to pause and reflect on their digital habits. Whether gathering with others or simply staying off the phone for a few hours, it’s important to take the opportunity to reconnect with the world around us.
