Elche town hall, fronted by councillor Inma Mora, has announced the launch of a brave but ingenious new campaign together with the UPCCA (Community Prevention Unit of Addictive Behaviours Elx) with which they propose a ‘Christmas without screens’ for children.
“Without screens, I enjoy and learn” is the motto under which the aim is to raise awareness among families about the use of screens by children and, in the same way, to promote healthy family leisure for the occupation of free time, with the aim to increase protective factors. Inma Mora has explained that the campaign will be based on two main points.
The first of them consists of delivering tablecloths and paintings to the city’s hospitality industry so that when a family goes to their favourite restaurant or bar, the little ones can enjoy this alternative, developing their creativity without having to entertain themselves with a mobile phone. “Likewise, we want adults to reflect on the use of screens in the family environment”.
On the other hand, during the remainder of the month, different activities will be carried out both in the urban area of Elche and in the districts, to promote a Christmas without a mobile phone with the use of board games, storytelling, face painting, and teaching workshops.
Salvador Martínez, social educator at the UPCCA and one of the designers of the campaign, has indicated that its main objective is to “raise families’ awareness of the importance of addressing the problem of excessive use of screens from an early age with activities like these that enhance the family game and they provide alternatives with board games aimed at all ages.” Martínez recalled that “the World Health Organisation recommends zero screens until the age of 2 and yet there is an increasing incidence of their use at an early age.”
Furthermore, from the UPCCA they work on the prevention of this type of addictions with preventive activities in which 6th year primary school and 1st year ESO students participate. Activities with which young people reflect on the abusive use of technologies and alternatives to the use of mobile phones.
