Switch off your screen & play outside
Screens are addictive for a reason. From Pinterest to Portal, from Facebook to your favourite show, we love to be entertained by games, social media, TV and practically anything else that’s screen-shaped.
But you can have too much of a good thing.
Lots of screen-time doesn’t just lead to sore thumbs and square eyes*, it’s also linked to wider waistlines, bigger energy bills and larger carbon footprints.
So for a few hours each week, switch off your screens and do something different.
It's that simple.
*according to all parents everywhere
Climate change
Screens are hungry for our time and our energy supply. Although individually, the use of various electronic items doesn’t seem like much, all those small footprints add up to a bigger one1. And, what with the nightly phone and iPad charging and the various TVs, laptops and games consoles that need plugging in, powering our screen habit adds up to a significant amount of energy use.
So swap the screens for some free, offline fun and save nearly 70kg CO2 over a year.
Money
Saving energy means saving money, especially as the average number of devices per household increases and with high electricity prices2. So switch off and save your cash.
Health
Swapping a few hours of mindless screen time each week for more energetic activity will do wonders for your overall health. Not only is exercising outdoors strongly linked to mental wellbeing4, it can also help you lose weight, while protecting you against cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Sound good?
Time
We now spend about half our waking time on screens. The average gamer plays for just over 7 hours per week, which is up by nearly 20% from last year5.
To put it another way, that’s almost half a month wasted to non-stop gaming every year! Just think what you could do with all that time.
Global Goals
In September 2017, an historic agreement was signed by UN member nations agreeing to work towards 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development by 2030, otherwise known as the SDGs.
Achieving these ambitious goals will require action from governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals alike. We can - and must - all play our part.
By making the 'Game off' pledge, you are contributing to the following SDG targets:
11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
12.8: By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
Success Stories
418
Pledges
in total
1,402kg
CO2
pledged
References
- Breaking Energy - https://breakingenergy.com/2014/01/15/infographic-how-much-energy-do-your-gadgets-ipads-and-flat-screen-tvs-use
- Money Supermarket - https://www.moneysupermarket.com/money-made-easy/whats-happening-to-energy-prices/
- https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/why-are-screens-make-us-less-happy.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3710158/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinanderton/2019/03/21/research-report-shows-how-much-time-we-spend-gaming-infographic/#7b7e02453e07
Social
If we’re honest, there’s nothing particularly social about social media, particularly if you compare it to a game of frisbee or five-a-side football with your mates.
There are more and more studies showing that too much screen time - whether we’re watching, scrolling, commenting or playing - damages our overall wellbeing3. So disconnect from your screen and enjoy all the benefits of a more socially-connected lifestyle!