Put-Away-Your-Phone Card

The “Put-Away-Your-Phone Card" project aims to raise awareness among parents of kindergarten-aged children about mindful and reduced smartphone use in everyday family life. At the heart of the project is a card that gives young children a voice as a visible signal. The card is intended to remind parents to consciously put their cell phones aside and spend time with their children without distraction. This promotes conscious and reduced media use in everyday family life and reduces so-called phubbing (interrupting social interaction in favor of smartphone use).

The program is implemented in cooperation with daycare centers. Participating daycare centers do not incorporate the topic through additional events, but rather as part of parent-teacher conferences that take place anyway—particularly those focusing on the topics of digitalization and childhood. During these conferences, parents are informed about the following topics through a presentation:

• Scientific background on media use and phubbing
• Recommendations from the AWMF guideline on screen time
• Use and objectives of the “Put-Away-Your-Phone Card”
• The process of the accompanying evaluation

As part of the evaluation, all participating parents receive questionnaires at the beginning and end of the intervention phase. In addition to repeated basic items, the post-questionnaire also asks questions about the actual use of the card, perceived changes in their own media use, emotions experienced (e.g., relief, resistance, motivation), and effects on everyday family life. Open-ended questions also make it possible to record specific everyday experiences, suggestions for improvement, and obstacles to implementation.
 

Scientific monitoring ensures that the intervention is not only practical but also evidence-based.