Hands quickly hit the tabletop. Here you have to be focused to have a chance to win the card game.
The students at Kvitsund gymnasium have worked a lot on being more present.
In the past, it was the case that concentration was poor and the lessons disappeared.
William Matteus Fonn would have liked to have had time for more. Maybe read a book?
But the smartphone was simply too tempting.
He decided to take action and involved the whole school.
Failed to log out
Over 80 percent of young people spend more than two hours on their mobile every day outside of school hours.
Most people spend three to six hours, according to Ungdata.
William thinks it’s too crazy.
He is a graduate student at Kvitsund gymnasium in Telemark.
On his red breeches it says: «Where did the fun people go?»
The question is a jab at those of us who rest our eyes at every opportunity.
Both William and his classmates have tried to log out a number of times.
But because the mobile has still been available, the effect has not been much to brag about.
Are you ready to put down your mobile phone?
Yes, as often as I want.
No, I use it more than I really want to.
I don’t think too much about it.
Show result
The mobile-free Monday game
William lobbied at the school.
He wanted as many people as possible with him on the mobile-free Monday project.
It became a kind of game:
Everyone who wanted to join left their mobile phone in a locked cupboard. If you picked up your mobile before the day was over, you were out of the game.
The most persistent won honor and glory.
And more time.
After a year, they extended the period to last a whole week.
The transition from logging on to logging off was too much for many.
Along the way, half had to give up.
Those who persevered believe it was worth it.
Alina Aaberg and Ingrid Malene Wilberg say they have become more aware of when they don’t need their mobile phone.
EYE CONTACT: Alina and Ingrid Malene no longer pick up their mobile phones when they are with others.
The library offers a mobile break
William believes the recipe for success was that there were several of them who did it together.
It is difficult to self-control mobile phone use, according to Trine Syvertsen, who researches digital disconnection.
– The smartest people in the world work to ensure that you are constantly on your mobile, she explains.
RESEARCHER: Trine Syvertsen is a researcher at the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Oslo.
Photo: Christian Ziegler Remme / NRK
Syvertsen is certain that it will become more common to be offered a mobile phone break at cafes or concerts in the future.
These days, for example, Deichman in Oslo distributes mobile sleeping bags to those who use the libraries.
Their aim is to help people put their mobiles away more.
Where did the fun people go?
The students at Kvitsund agree that the more people who put their mobile phones away, the better it will be.
Several felt the need to come up with something with each other, and the mobile-free week became very special.
William tells of a calm of his own.
He also had time to read – books about why you should stay away from your mobile phone, of course.
The goal is not to live completely mobile-free, but to find a balance where it is natural to put down the mobile phone.
– It is an extreme experiment, but we learned that it actually works, says William.
The mobile-free week was simply more fun and more social.
In other words, the fun people were no further away than that.
Tags: William dependent mobile phone mobilefree weeks NRK Vestfold Telemark Local news radio
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