How long do you spend in front of a screen?

We live in a digital age where even the youngest members of the population constantly spend their time in front of various screens. Digital devices are most people’s daily companion. Since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic in 2020, the situation has become much worse, and children have not only spen​t most of their free time in front of a screen, but all of their school time too. At its worst, the intensive use of digital devices leads to stress, addiction, depression and obesity. The current situation makes it more appropriate than ever to seek solutions to this problem.

My project is an interactive children’s book that guides a digital ‘diet’ through 30 varied games involving creativity, skill, concentration, perception and manual dexterity. While playing, however, the digital devices are not completely renounced: There is merely a decontextualisation and a re-functioning of the actual function, i.e. a TV screen suddenly turns into a picture frame, a smartphone becomes a torch for a shadow game and a laptop forms the basis of a colourful cardboard landscape. The irony of limiting a digital device to one function or using it passively in a different context is intended to help children engage in activities away from active screens in a humorous way.

Children play the main role in my project, which is about putting them in charge of their own leisure time. Through the games, they should on one hand, gain awareness that everyday life can be made interesting even with less screen time and, on the other hand, they shoulddevelop ambition and personal responsibility and understand that they themselves can be in a position to change their leisure time and thus their lifestyle in a positive way.