Shropshire 'techtimeout Tuesday' attracts more than a million pledges

The global initiative was set up by Shropshire businesswoman Stephanie Henson

More than one million people will step away from technology and digital media for a set period later to promote mental health wellbeing.

The national awareness day, techtimeout Tuesday, is fronted by Shropshire businesswoman, Stephanie Henson.

Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA) is a partner in this year's event.

"Employees are feeling the strain of always being 'on', it's increasingly harder to switch off," said Ms Henson.

"Even when we step away from our computers, we're still inundated with notifications on our phones."

'Step away for 10 minutes'

Also a director of technology company Six Ticks, she said she launched the initiative in 2020 with a mission to "promote having a healthier relationship with technology".

The initiative works with businesses to inspire employees to break the cycle of excessive screen time, by pledging to step away from phones and computers for at least 10 minutes.

The average adult spends more than 11 hours a day interacting with digital media and 75% of employees believe their work performance is affected by multitasking, said the organisation.

"We picked this particular Tuesday as it follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when many of us are spending even more time online," Ms Henson explained.

Organisations to have signed up to the pledge include the British Medical Association, and Ministry of Justice as well as local councils and charities.

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