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Community coalition launches 'Look Up Marion — Put the Phone Down' day and summit to curb youth screen time
Summary
The Marion County Children's Alliance and partners unveiled a campaign and a Nov. 15 Put-the-Phone-Down day plus a Dec. 3 summit featuring national speaker Mandy Hannon (Screen Strong) to promote reduced screen time and alternatives for families and students.
The Marion County Children’s Alliance presented a community-driven campaign to reduce youth screen time during the Oct. 2 Marion County School Board meeting, announcing a countywide “Put the Phone Down” day on Nov. 15 and a public summit on Dec. 3.
Beth McCall, executive director of the Marion County Children’s Alliance, said the Look Up Marion initiative emerged from a January alliance meeting that identified student mental health and screen time as the top concern. A coalition of local nonprofits and school leaders formed a working committee and developed a two-part public campaign: an awareness day with a downloadable resource guide and a public summit featuring national experts.
McCall told the board the campaign will offer a rack card and a pledge families can sign; a new LookUpMarion.org landing page will host resources, a community activity guide and registration for the Dec. 3 summit at the College of Central Florida Klein Center. The morning event on Dec. 3 will feature Mandy Hammond of Screen Strong presenting on kids’ brains and screens; the summit registration fee is $20, and the children’s alliance said it will provide materials to schools at no district cost.
The alliance has worked with district staff on outreach. Casey Griffith and Megan Magamal were singled out in the meeting for assisting in school communication and local coordination. McCall asked principals to publicize the event and suggested schools post the Nov. 15 date on their marquees and share the pledge with families. The campaign will also include sheriff’s office public-service announcements and yard signs for participating schools.
McCall said the goal is not to eliminate devices but to “moderate that use, and let’s really begin engaging with our families,” and urged schools to incorporate campaign materials into homeroom or advisement periods in the weeks leading up to Nov. 15. The alliance plans to offer teacher- and student-facing resources and to make the program an annual community observance if local interest is sustained.
Board members expressed support and said they had seen early benefits from recent school-level phone restrictions. Several asked that the pledge and promotional materials be made available in digital form so schools can distribute them through Peachjar and school communications.
The Alliance said the website and resources would be live beginning Oct. 6 and that community members may request yard signs or other promotional items via the alliance email (executivedirector@mcchildrensalliance.org).
The board did not take formal action. McCall said the program and the summit are being offered at no cost to schools and asked principals and district communication staff to help promote the campaign.
