CHILDREN IN LATIN AMERICA CHALLENGED TO TURN OFF THEIR SCREENS FOR ONE DAY FOR DIGITAL WELL-BEING

PANAMA CITY, Panama, 3 July 2025  – Children across Latin American and the Caribbean are being encouraged to turn off their mobile phones, game consoles and laptops for a day and think about their digital wellbeing in a challenge led by Save the Children and Chicos.net Association.

At a time when more children are online than ever before, the ‘Zoom Into Your Rights’ contest, supported by civil society organizations throughout the region, is open to children up to 18 years of age from now until 31 July.

It challenges children to take a break from their devices and to record a video afterwards of what happens to them while they take a break and submit their short videos.

The initiative comes as children increasingly spend a significant portion of their lives online and growing concerns about issues linked to children’s social media use such as depression, anxiety, toxic social comparison and sleep problems as well as concerns about online bullying. [1] While some countries are racing to ban social media for young children, others say that restricting children’s access to social media is unlikely to have the desired effect and could push children into more harmful online spaces.[2]

The competition invites children to think about questions such as: ‘What would happen if you disconnected for 24 hours?’ or ‘Would you want to do something else apart from being online?’ and ‘How can we use our voices to create positive change?’

The challenge hopes to help children to think for themselves about negative issues associated with social media and online connections including anxiety, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), difficulty disconnecting, constant comparison with their peers, exposure to fake news and hateful comments, as well as the more positive aspects of technology.

One 14-year-old student from Argentina said that their time offline helped them to feel calmer.

“I felt more present, more aware of what I was doing. I drew, painted or did some crafts. I cooked without online recipes, using intuition. I went for a walk, without music and just with my thoughts. I played with my pet. I had deeper or more thoughtful conversations with the people around me. Time seemed to slow down. I fell asleep earlier. My mind felt calmer, less overstimulated." 

Andrea Urbas, Director of Chicos.net, an organization that promotes the safe, responsible, and creative use of technology among children and adolescents, said:

“This is a digital detox with a purpose and with a pedagogical objective. Through this disconnection challenge we’re hoping to open dialogue among children and adolescents so that they can connect with their emotions and with those around them in a way that doesn’t require them to be online.

“Children can then reflect on how different social media platforms impacts their mental health. Our aim is to help them to express messages through this challenge that focus on their wellbeing and the wellbeing of their community.”

The contest, which is entering its 8th year, has involved more than 5,000 children and adolescents as well as more than 3,000 teachers and 400 schools in 14 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cristina Garcia, Save the Children’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said:

“Children and adolescents deserve digital environments that are not only safe and inclusive, but also empower them to access trustworthy information, engage responsibly, and advocate for their rights. Promoting critical thinking about social media, encouraging moments of digital disconnection, and fostering healthy online habits are essential.”

Save the Children opened its first Latin American field office in the early 1960s. Since then, we’ve worked across Latin America and the Caribbean to improve the lives of children in the region. Child rights are at the centre of what we do and our regional priorities are child protection, education, as well as health and nutrition.

More information about the competition can be found here: www.concursozoom.org

[1] Save the Children: https://www.savethechildren.net/blog/child-protection-digital-world-why-it-needed

[2] Australia’s social media ban for under 16s could put children at greater risk