The coronavirus pandemic is far from over and the way we live our lives has been completely redefined. From the beginning of the pandemic, people of all ages have spent significantly more time living through their screens. More screen time isn’t a choice anymore, but a necessity for families. Just the time, we thought, for everyone to take a step back and reconnect with their families by participating in #GadgetFreeHour.
ParentCircle is inviting everyone to celebrate with us the priceless parent-child bond by participating in the #GadgetFreeHour drive on November 20 (World Children’s Day), 2021, between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm. In this one hour, families will disconnect from their gadgets and spend time with their children – playing, talking, eating and laughing together; rediscovering the pleasure of each other’s company in a fun way. The Tamil Nadu Government Education Department is extending its support for the#GadgetFreeHour initiative by sharing a message to all the schools urging teachers and
parents, along with their children, to take a break from their hectic online schedules to spend
that one hour with their families.
The Puducherry Government has also joined hands in this initiative and is keen on spreading the go-gadget-free message across all schools in the Union Territory. Private schools and educational institutions, corporates, NGOs, cinestars, sportspersons, and scores of parents have also pledged to go gadget-free for that one hour on November 20, 2021. Everyone unanimously agrees that though we were all home together during the pandemic, we were in many ways disconnected from our family
members – particularly our children – due to our extreme dependence on technology. With the parents busy working from home and the children busy with online classes, everyone has been cocooned in a ‘connected’ world of their own. Therefore, this initiative is very much the need of the hour. It is imperative that parents set aside some time to
reconnect with their children and family members without the distraction of gadgets beeping
and pinging away. That is why we, at ParentCircle, feel that the #GadgetFreeHour, which
started a Disconnect2Reconnect revolution in 2019, will be a refreshing break for everyone,
young and old alike.
Talking about why #GadgetFreeHour, which aims to impact the lives of over 50 million
parents, should become a part of our daily lives, Nalina Ramalakshmi, Founder and Managing
Director, ParentCircle, says, “All of us parents are so busy either working or taking care of the
needs of our family. How often do we pause and take a break to just relax, be silly and playful,
and have fun with our children and loved ones? Research clearly shows that it is such playful
moments that strengthen our relationship with our children and help create lasting memories
for all of us. So, we at ParentCircle launched #GadgetFreeHour to encourage families to spend
playful, fun moments together and experience the joy of connection. We hope every family
will join this campaign and spend one hour on November 20th with their children and loved
ones without the distraction of gadgets. We hope this experience will enthuse them to make
gadget-free family time a regular part of their daily lives.”
About the #GadgetFreeHour PR Venketrama Raja, Chairman, Ramco Group has this
to say, “In this age of heavy information load and instant communication, we tend to
be reactive. We need to quiet our minds and pause to think. The Gadget Free Hour is a
reminder to us all to pause and spend time with our children.”
NRK Ramkumar Raja, Managing Director, Rama Raju Surgical Cotton Mills Ltd. has also pledged to be a part of #GadgetFreeHour. He says, “The vast majority of us are enamored with the digital age. However, we all live and interact in the physical world where we need to survive by manipulating our analog senses. Gadget Free Hour gives us a reason, even if it is brief, to connect back to the basics and experience the joys of non-digital interaction with family. I hope the Gadget Free Hour becomes a daily habit where we truly connect with one another.”
Adds AV Dharmakrishnan, CEO, Ramco Cements, “Gadgets that are meant for uniting or connecting people are actually resulting in dividing people and also causing a lot of psychological problems among people of all ages. To bridge this gap, ParentCircle, as a social cause, has started the initiative of #GadgetFreeHour so that people can spend quality time with family and friends. Everybody should support this initiative by connecting with each other and disconnecting all the gadgets for at least some time every day. I congratulate every member of the ParentCircle team for having taken this noble initiative to such heights.”
To make this a fun hour for everyone, we have launched the #GadgetFreeHour online #HahaHehe
Challenge for families, which is seeing massive participation with over seven lakh reach. We also
have the 14-Day ‘Back to Childhood’ challenge – a unique challenge that encourages parents to
spend 5 gadget-free minutes every day with their children. Parents can support this campaign by
taking the pledge at www.gadgetfreehour.com, and spread the joy of connection.
