#GadgetFreeHour # REPORT 2019 01. INTRODUCTION 03. PARTNERS Summary Sponsors Significance Media #Disconnect2Reconnect to Others (Schools, Hotels, Corporates #GadgetFreeHour - The Story and Organisations) 02. HIGHLIGHTS 04. ROAD AHEAD Impact 05. BEHIND THE SCENES Testimonials Acknowledgement Celeb Endorsements Expert Speak GFH in the Press GFH Gallery #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd 01 INTRODUCTION #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd Summary At ParentCircle, we have been pursuing a single-minded mission – to build confidence in parents to raise happy, healthy, confident, compassionate children. To be a confident parent, we believe a strong parent-child connection is the key. This, in turn, makes children feel loved, understood, safe and secure. To connect, parents need this campaign, we urged organizations, hotels, #GadgetFreeHour 2019 to make time to spend with parents and children from corporates, the southern succeeded in creating their children. Today, both across India to turn off wing of CBSE and Tamil an awareness about the parents and children lead all gadgets for one hour, Nadu Directorate of importance and joy of busy lives. Additionally, between 7:30 p.m. and School Education, joined connecting with loved gadgets have become 8:30 p.m. on Children’s hands with us to make ones. The message an indispensable part of Day, November 14, 2019, this campaign for change was clear – ‘Each one people’s daily lives. This and spend time with each a grand success. Parents of us can celebrate this and children pledged to makes it more difficult for other. magic of connection if spend gadget-free time people to spend quality we consciously make an with each other. Parents time with their families, This first-of-its kind also shared their heart- effort to spare at least one without the distraction of campaign received an warming stories of how #GadgetFreeHour regularly gadgets. So, we came overwhelming response this special hour was a and inspire others to do up with the novel idea of and we were able to life-altering experience for so!’ a #GadgetFreeHour – touch the lives of over 10 them and how they would Disconnect2Reconnect million people. Individuals, like to make gadget-free campaign. As a part of institutions, schools, time a regular practice. #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd We encouraged parents and children to: Eat Together Have meals together as a family, chatting, sharing jokes and relishing the food. Play Together Play cards, board games, carrom, hide and seek, and more. Walk Together Take a little stroll together around the neighbourhood and just talk about everything under the sky! Significance Share Together The aim of our #GadgetFreeHour Campaign was to help parents and children experience the MAGIC and JOY of Spend time sharing stories, dreams and connection without any distractions. We wanted this one experiences. Pull out old family albums hour to serve as a trigger to make #GadgetFreeHour a and relive the memories. regular activity among families. ‘Act’ Together Cook, dance, sing, paint… Work as a team (family). #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd Understanding that our lives today are highly dependent on gadgets, we thought that encouraging people to allocate an hour for ‘no-gadget use’ to distance themselves from the virtual world, would help them celebrate the real connections that they miss noticing and often take for granted. To increase awareness on the importance of parents connecting with their children, as a precursor to the #GadgetFreeHour Campaign, we launched the #D2R #GFH #Disconnect2Reconnect Campaign from October 17 to November 3, 2019. Throughout this campaign, we talked about the responsible use of gadgets and the importance of connecting with children. #Disconnect2Reconnect to From 4th November 2019, we officially launched the #GadgetFreeHour campaign. We encouraged #GadgetFreeHour parents and children to take the pledge to allocate one hour to switch off gadgets and spend time with their children. The campaign struck a chord with millions of families. Then, on 14th November, 2019, from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM, these millions of parents and children turned off all their gadgets and experienced the joy of connection by engaging in fun activities. #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd #GADGETFREEHOUR? NO WAY! #GADGETFREEHOUR EVERY DAY! #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd 02 HIGHLIGHTS #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd Impact POST #GADGETFREEHOUR POLL WHAT WAS YOUR #GADGETFREEHOUR EXPERIENCE LIKE? EXCELLENT 66.08% VERY GOOD 20.70% GOOD 9.03% OKAY 2.42% NOT GOOD 1.76% 17,285,808* 10,000,000+ SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD YOU SPEND GADGET-FREE TIME LIVES TOUCHED IMPRESSIONS WITH YOUR CHILD AGAIN? DAILY 64.22% 5,667,293* 96,872 WEEKLY 21.77% SOCIAL MEDIA REACH SCHOOLS MONTHLY 3.23% 27 SOMETIMES 7.76% CORPORATES/ 28 NEVER 3.02% ORGANISATIONS HOTELS/RESTAURANTS * Keyhole Analytics data + TikTok data November 15, 2019 ©ParentCircle #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd Testimonials The campaign had My son went from saying, ‘No My mother was very emotional. an impact on many Chance’ to #GadgetFreeHour, She said to specially thank you for to saying, ‘Can we have this #GadgetFreeHour. We have families. Here, a few #GadgetFreeHour again not spent time like this together of them share their tomorrow?’ after we spent a fun (my parents, my child, my wife and #GadgetFreeHour hour of playing together. I), as a family, in at least 4 years. experiences. - Rex - Bharanidharan Thank you for this wonderful We ate dinner on the porch and initiative ParentCircle team. Got enjoyed the cool breeze. Then, to know about my daughter’s my son played the guitar. Our (1.5 years old) skills and her phones, TV, and other gadgets grasping power. We were amazed were switched off. The hour flew to see her talent. We played many by pleasantly. We had a good time. interactive games. - Roopa M - Karthigeyan #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd Our #GadgetFreeHour was so It was really a great opportunity to In today’s time when everyone is gadget free that we didn’t even realize how gadgets created a hollow hooked on to their gadgets, be click pics :) It started off with me space between children and parents. it on the dinner table at home or narrating stories to my kids followed We played a game by asking at the restaurant, it is imperative by some childhood games of questions to each other and we were that we give the gadgets a break Chinese whispers, word building able to understand more from my from our daily routine. Thus, it was and secret tunnel. My 6-year-old daughter Dhanya, of her likes and indeed exciting to partner with made us laugh out loud during dislikes. Thank you for creating this ParentCircle for the very noble Chinese whispers. Their father wonderful opportunity and I would cause of #GadgetFreeHour on then took us out for a Children’s like to interact more with my kids this Children’s Day, to be able Day special dinner. It was not just from now on, rather than with the to spend more time with our little a gadget-free-hour, but a whole gadgets. ones sans gadgets. gadget-free-evening indeed :) We have renamed this hour as ‘bonding - Satish - Ruban Das, General Manager, time’ and pledged to include this in Hilton Chennai our daily routine. Thank you! - Sangeeta Rao I am busy almost 365 days because of my business, but today our daughters asked us to play with them, on their teacher’s My younger son was the teacher request. We enjoyed a lot and and we were all students during realized what we are missing out #GadgetFreeHour. I have never in our daily life. All credit goes to seen my wife laugh so much. #GadgetFreeHour 2019. - Selvam - Pasam Naveenkumar #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd Celeb Endorsements #GadgetFreeHour has received a thumbs up from celebrities and experts as there is a growing recognition of a need for such a ‘movement’. Some of the leading experts and celebrities to endorse the #GadgetFreeHour include: Dr. Tchiki Davis Dr. Laura Markham Dr. Nithya Poornima Dr. Tchiki Davis, Dr. Laura Markham, Dr. Nithya Poornima, Blake Snow, Tanya Goodin, Nir Eyal and many more. Actors Sameera Reddy and Bhumika Chawla, Chess legend Vishwanathan Anand, Cricketers Mithali Raj and Ravichandran Ashwin, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Top Radio Jockey ‘RJ’ Balaji, Singers Unnikrishnan and Blake Snow Tanya Goodin Sameera Reddy Mahati, Dancer VP Dhananjayan and Stand- up comedian Amit Tandon. Nir Eyal Vishwanathan Anand Mithali Raj #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd Ravichandran Ashwin Sanjeev Kapoor ‘RJ’ Balaji Unnikrishnan Mahati VP Dhananjayan Amit Tandon Sunil Vishnu Karthik Kumar Archana Chandhoke Ajay John Fatima Agarkar Balaji Venugopal Anil Srinivasan Akansha Bhargava Veena Kumaravel Mayilsamy Annadurai Bhumika Chawla #GadgetFreeHour 2019 www.parentcircle.com © Shri Harini Media Ltd Expert Speak What experts from all over What every child needs is a This sounds awesome! The the world have to say about mother or father who delights more time we can spend ParentCircle’s initiative on in them and who wants to with each other without our #GadgetFreeHour: connect with them. I want to phones present the greater urge you today, Children’s well-being we are likely to Day, to turn off your devices, have. Research shows that disconnect to reconnect! even having a phone present during a conversation can Moments spent playfully Dr. Laura Markham, Founding Editor of ahaparenting.com and author of hurt the interaction! and exclusively with parents ‘Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids’ books during the growing years is Dr. Tchiki Davis, Author of ‘Outsmart Your Smartphone: Conscious Tech not only key for children’s Habits for Finding Happiness, current development, it is an Balance, and Connection IRL’ important emotional reservoir for life.