Uses of Time

The government measure ‘Actions 2024-2027 for digital wellbeing. We educate and promote healthy screen use in childhood and adolescence’ aims to improve and ensure the wellbeing of children and young people in their relationship with technology.

It has been conceived as a proactive response to the challenges posed by digital devices and is a firm commitment to the health, wellbeing and comprehensive development of children and adolescents, without forgetting the responsibility and role model that adults represent. Accepting that most uses of technology are not problematic, we work to prevent risks and promote health.

The aim is to promote critical, responsible and healthy use of digital technologies among children and adolescents, while strengthening resources, actions and educational programmes aimed at families and education professionals. At the same time, we want to encourage access to alternative leisure activities that promote social interaction among peers, physical activity and connection with the natural and community environment. Likewise, we propose the need to position problematic screen use as a public health issue, addressing it comprehensively through existing services, networking and the active involvement of regulatory authorities.

Some actions carried out or in progress:

• Include content related to the proper use of screens in the family skills programme ‘The family, the best school’.
   
• Offer free workshops and programmes on critical and healthy use, risks, digital safety and self-defence and protection mechanisms, etc. to children, adolescents and families in particularly vulnerable environments (open centres, disadvantaged neighbourhoods, etc.).
   
• Organise preventive activities or workshops that provide tools for the proper use of screens and digital environments to adolescents and young people, as well as to families with adolescent children and professionals who work with adolescents and young people.
   
• Promote alternative educational and leisure activities for children, families and intergenerational groups, and reinforce dissemination: Open playgrounds, Let's play in the squares, Play area 0-99, Municipal family parenting spaces, toy libraries, among others.
   
• Promote reading as an alternative to screen use through programmes such as the project 'Cribs and neighbourhood libraries' and the 'Born to read' programme to promote reading for children aged 0 to 6, in collaboration with primary care services.
   
• Strengthen the promotion of the ‘Educational Afternoons’ programme of extracurricular activities (with the possibility of financial assistance for families) in neighbourhoods with the greatest socio-economic inequalities.
   
• Promote a public awareness campaign on the promotion of digital well-being, the use of screens and the possible associated harms.
   
• Promote the regulation of digital device use and the existence of mobile-free spaces or times in public spaces and facilities with a high presence of children and adolescents.

Time Impacts:

• Promotion of healthy use of time.
• Improvement of quality leisure and equity in educational and leisure activities.

More information:

• Government measure ‘Actions 2024-2027 for digital wellbeing’ (in Catalan).

• Website ‘Barcelona beyond screens’ (in Catalan).