The presentation guides teachers in addressing compulsive screen use among secondary school students, promoting discussions around a potential screenless week to enhance empathy and wellbeing. It emphasizes the health impacts of excessive screen time, suggesting the initiative can foster reflection and improved offline relationships. Teachers are encouraged to tailor the content to their students' needs and to share their experiences with the program.

1. Switch off to Switch On ?
For Secondary Schools

2. Advice for teachers:
• This presentation will help you look at the issues of compulsive screen use with
students. It has been designed for 12 years age and upwards.
• There are 2 parts to this presentation. The first part is to be used before you start
the week, the second after.
• The presentation looks at the ScreenLess activities but also looks at the issue of
online empathy and whether being on our screens all the time somehow erodes
our empathy for others. The presentation also looks at how excessive screen use
can affect our health and wellbeing. However these slides are really only
discussion starters.
• It is designed to be used in a classroom setting and to open up a discussion and
generate positive feedback and reflection from young people.
• Of course for many of the students the idea of having a ScreenLess week will be an
anathema, but remember this is not about having a no-screen week, it’s about
helping all of us to think can we have a less screen week. Remember it doesn’t
have to be a whole week – you can have a Screenless few days!
• Obviously you will know your pupils best and so we encourage you to use the slide
in this presentation which you think can work best in opening up a discussion.
• There are notes for each slide on the bottom of each slide so review these before
you use with students.
• Finally – let us know what worked or if we can provide further resources looking at
this topic.

3. Switch off to Switch On ?
For Secondary Schools

4. YOUR MISSION
Should you choose to accept it
Could you live without your screen
(access to your mobile, games console, Ipad or the Internet)
for a whole week ?
“If you took away my mobile phone
you would take away a part of me”

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QsWQtDHhBg&sns=tw
“In a world where voices
are only read and
laughter is never heard,
I’m so desperate to feel
that I hope that the
technology can reverse
the universe so that the
screen can touch me
back and maybe it will
when our technology is
advanced enough to
make us human again!”
CONSTANTLY CONNECTED
How does it feel ?

6. What ONE screen activity would you
miss the most if you couldn’t use any
screens for a whole week?
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
BBM /
WHAT’S UP
NEWS
RESEARCH
SHOPPING
TEXTING
CAMERA
MUSIC
STAYING IN
TOUCH E.g.
TOOLS &
APPS E.g.
LOCATION
GAMES
ACCESS TO
INFO E.g.
WEATHER
OTHERS? …………

7. IS THERE A DANGER WE BECOME
ADDICTED* TO OUR SCREENS ?
• When constant online time becomes a
problem or a ‘dominant’ part of your life.
• When it starts interfering with school
attendance, outside activities, or even sleep.
• When you become irritable, angry frustrated
when you are not online.
• When you suffer withdrawal symptoms when
not online.
* The word ‘addicted’ is very strong, perhaps a better word is ‘Compulsion’

8. SCREEN-FREE WEEK ALSO GIVES US A
CHANCE TO CHECK UP ON OUR HEALTH
Late night technology use can :
• Affect sleep quality
• Contribute to mental exhaustion
• Increases drowsiness in school
the next day which has a direct
link to learning
• Be a powerful distraction
(completing homework!)
• Affect our offline relationships

9. BUT THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE!
Parents tell us that we
are becoming addicted
to our screens. We reply,
"So are you, it's just that
you call it work!"

10. What practical thing do you
think would help you to use
screens less during the week?
What things do you think will
come out of the ScreenLess
week?
A diary will help
you capture your
experience.

11. • Does the internet contribute to
an erosion of empathy ?
• What happens when we
become “comfortably numb” ?
• How can we build empathy
online ?
EMPATHY
What is empathy?

12. “You never really understand a
person until you consider things
from his point of view.
Until you climb inside of his skin
and walk around in it.”
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

13. “Empathy is the ability to put ourselves in another’s
place and to understand their experience.
We are deeply present to their thoughts and
feelings with such compassionate accuracy that
they can hear their own thoughts more clearly.
Empathy connect us with our
common humanity.
It protects us from prejudice,
blame, and judgment – those
things that divide us from each
other. It moves us to seek
justice for every person. Even
those with whom we disagree.”
With empathy, we
reflect on how our
actions affect others.
Empathy inspires us
to be giving and
selfless. Empathy
connects our hearts.
Source www.boundlessconnections.org/weeklyvirtuesblog/wp-
content/uploads/2010/12/Empathy.jpg

14. “Empathy is the ability to put ourselves in another’s
place and to understand their experience.
We are deeply present to their thoughts and
feelings with such compassionate accuracy that
they can hear their own thoughts more clearly.
Empathy connect us with our
common humanity.
It protects us from prejudice,
blame, and judgment – those
things that divide us from each
other. It moves us to seek
justice for every person. Even
those with whom we disagree.”
With empathy, we
reflect on how our
actions affect others.
Empathy inspires us
to be giving and
selfless. Empathy
connects our hearts.
Source www.boundlessconnections.org/weeklyvirtuesblog/wp-
content/uploads/2010/12/Empathy.jpg

15. “You better brace
yourself for a whole lot
of ugly coming to you
from a never ending
parade of stupid”
Motormouth Maybelle from Hairspray
“Casual Cruelty ”
Lady Gaga has established her
Born This Way Foundation to
empower young people to resist
the urge to engage in casual
cruelty in the digital world.

16. What is it about using a mobile
phone which can disinhibit us ?
In small groups
What can happen when we
become less inhibited and hide
behind anonymity ?
GROUP EXERCISE

17. What do you think could be the best
thing about not being on your
screen for the next few days ?

18. Who’s on for switching off ?

19. Note for teachers:
• The next 5 slides you can use after you have
undertaken the activity.
• Of course you can also adapt these slides and insert
examples of children’s work, your diary entries,
results of a survey etc., etc.

20. HOW DID YOU GET ON ?

21. Well done for trying !

22. HOW DID YOU GET ON ?
• What was the one personal thing
which you learnt from unplugging?
• Did you feel agitated or tense,
irritable or angry? If so why do you
think that was ?
• What was the best thing you did in
place of being on your screen ?
• How did you feel when you couldn’t
use your screens?

23. HAS ANYTHING CHANGED?
As a result of doing the activity,
are you going to do anything
differently from now on?
What is the one tip you could
share to others about keeping
a screen-life balance ?

24. Complete the following sentence
“I thought the
ScreenLess week
was…”

25. Who’s on for switching off ?