The youth counseling organization Headspace is asking people across Denmark to switch off their phones on Sunday, September 13, and go for a walk together instead.
The campaign is called #SlukSammen and runs nationwide during the day. DR reports that Headspace is calling for walks all over the country. The idea is that people step into physical company and take the conversation face to face.
Headspace is a free and anonymous counseling service for young people between 12 and 25. According to the campaign material, the organization wants to switch off the phone and make room for what often disappears into the screen. It states that the phone gives a lot, but also takes something important away.
Stine Klemmentsen, a youth counselor at Headspace Esbjerg, spoke to DR about the young people the center meets. As she noted, they are very aware of how much time they spend on their phones. Many of them actually want to cut back.
She said the problem for this group is that some find physical communities difficult. Others have no one at all to meet up with. Going online then becomes a large platform where community can be found quickly, at any hour.
The numbers behind the campaign
New figures from Statistics Denmark show heavy private screen use among young people, DR reports. More than one in four spend over six hours a day on private screens. That means screen time after school hours.
Among 20 to 29 year olds, nearly half say they have neglected leisure activities to be on a screen instead. The figures are cited by DR as part of the background for Sunday’s campaign.
On its own campaign page, Headspace invites all Danes to take part in the screen-free day. The organization frames the day around turning off the phone and starting in-person conversations. Details of the walks are published on the same page.
The invitation has also been passed on through sports organizations. Sportsdykning, which is part of the Danish sports federation DIF, wrote ahead of the day that clubs and members were encouraged to join. Its notice repeated the campaign’s core message about making space for what is lost to the screen.
Headspace’s centers are spread across the country, including in Esbjerg, where Klemmentsen works. The service is aimed at young people who want to talk about anything from loneliness to school and family life. Anonymity is part of the offer, and it is free to use, a point often highlighted in descriptions of living in Denmark.
Save up to 2,800 DKK on Your Electricity Bill
FindElpriser helps you switch electricity providers quickly and easily.
Readers can find more information about the campaign on Headspace’s website. DR linked to the same page in its coverage on Sunday morning.
