Youngkin declares Virginia Screen-Free Week

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin is urging all Virginians to put down their devices. It’s all part of what Youngkin is calling Virginia Screen-Free Week. 

Pointing to data showing that the average teen in the United States spends about five hours a day on their phone, Youngkin said Virginia Screen-Free Week is a call to action to encourage all Virginians to “take intentional breaks from phones, tablets, and social media.”

“It’s not uncommon to see kids telling their parents that they can’t live without their phone or they can’t live without their screens,” said Dr. Kathryn Jones, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at VCU’s School of Medicine.

As part of the initiative, Youngkin is suggesting schools, libraries and families participate by “hosting creative, engaging alternatives to screen time,” like “putting phones away during dinner, taking a walk, or planning a screen-free play day.”

“When we think about children and teens, they care a lot about fairness and justice, that if I have to do it, then everybody has to do it. So it can be helpful if you are the parent of a child or teenager, to say we are all going to take a break,” Jones said. 

Jones applauded the initiative, saying too much time in front of a screen can have serious effects on kids. 

“We certainly see kids who can’t sleep without their phone or can’t sleep without their media. We do know that reading can take a negative hit from that, lower grades in school,” Jones said.

Jones added that even the slightest decrease in the amount of time a kid spends online can have a positive impact on their lives.

“Being able to connect with people without having to use a screen to do so can be really important,” Jones said.

Screen-Free Week runs through Saturday, April 19, but Dr. Jones said you should be thinking about spending less time on your devices all year long.