It's no surprise that more and more companies are beginning to advocate for less phone time. Stats from the AdWeek article state, "today, about one in 10 kids age 8 or under has a 'smart' toy that connects to the internet". These set of ads follow Will Ferrell and his "family" during a dinner time scenario. The nonprofit, Common Sense Media, who advocate for smart usage of technology with kids and families, highlights the dangers and very real scenarios that families face nowadays.
From personal experience, I have grown up when technology was developing. However, I see the negative effects from technology usage particularly with my younger brother. He is now ten years old, and certainly grew up in the generation with the newest iPhones, iPads, etc. At dinner time, he watches YouTube on the iPad instead of engaging in conversation.
This ad is targeted to get people to have a device-free dinner. More and more people are obsessed with checking social media that they fail to have face-to-face interaction with the ones they care about. Although these set of ads are very family oriented, I believe that the campaign can relate to everyone living in a technologically advanced society.
Although this is a topic I think many companies try to address, I think that these ad videos highlight the real truths of device usage. It's scary to think about what the future might hold for technology advances. While phones and tablets are so helpful, they are also harming our development as social and interactive people. It's awesome how this non-profit got a celebrity to act upon a very real issue in our society today. It's time to start having more #DeviceFreeDinners...
In classic Will Ferrel fashion, these ads are witty and cringe-worthy. We've all been guilty of being the device-obsessed person at the table.
Want to watch all of them? Click here for the full AdWeek article and Videos.