Worried about your child’s screen time? Navigating the ‘Can I get a phone?’ conversation?
Unplug to Reconnect is a powerful, in-person event at Kingswood School, exploring how smartphone overuse is affecting youth mental health - and what we can do about it.
Hosted by The Digital Detox Club and My Resilient Mind, the afternoon gathering will bring together powerful speakers, student performances, music, spoken word and real stories to shine a light on the social and emotional impact of smartphone overuse. With smart phones sealed in pouches on arrival, this will be a rare chance to be fully present in a space designed for honesty, connection, and hope.
You’ll hear from authors, educators, musicians, and young people themselves, as we unpack topics like social media pressure, screen addiction, and emotional resilience. From compelling talks and poetry to raw interviews and live performances, every moment is designed to inspire meaningful reflection - and collective action.
The event will finish with a dive into our breakout space, a joyful, hands-on zone packed with screen-free fun. Get creative with clay, fabric art, crafts, try boxing or yoga, relax in the chill out space, or simply enjoy connecting with others face-to-face. You’ll leave feeling lighter, stronger, and more connected.
Join the movement and reclaim real life with us.
Who is invited? Parents and their adolescents (10-18 years old)
Event Programme
First half - The Problem
- Intro from Nicola MacDonald and Laura Hughes, The Digital Detox Club Co Founders
- Social Media : a film from Boys in Mind
- Music performance - Lauren Helyar, Musician
- How social media can feed hatred and isolation - Nicola MacDonald
- Lifting the veil on big tech - Shona Beats, Former COO Headspace
- The link between smartphones & mental health - Dr. Susie Davies, Papaya Parents
- Interview of teens - how to survive without a smartphone
- Music performance - Mild Steel (young adult band)
Interval - Snacks & drinks
Second half - The Solutions
- #Reclaim the net - Taking control of our digital lives - Conor Warren , Founder Spark UK
- Striking a healthier balance with your phone & igniting offline passions - Nicola MacDonald
- Spoken Word piece - The importance of presence - Mark De’Lisser, Poet
- The mental health benefits of music - Lauren Helyar, Musician
- The benefits of writing and spoken word for mental health - Mark De' Lisser, Poet
- Art as a healing force, a path home to ourselves and resilience - Lorna Bode, Artist
- The healing power of nature - Tash Filer, National Trust Ambassador
- The mental health benefits of exercise - Barbara Baskerville, Co Founder of Baskervilles School of Gymnastics
- Music performance - Lauren Helyar and Mild Steel (young adult band)
The event will end with an inspiring break out session providing a space to discover new offline passions - with taster activities such as clay workshops, fitness, gymnastics, fabric art and games to explore what the real world has to offer.
