Men’s Health Week 2023 Promotes Tech Detox

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13 June 2023

In a society where we are always connected and contactable through our smartphones, Men’s Health Week is challenging men to consider the health implications of being online.

In 2022, UK residents spent an average of four hours and 14 minutes per day using mobile devices, an increase from the 3.7 hours in 2020. A 2019 study found that the average person picked up their smartphone 96 times each day.

There's also evidence that addictions that disproportionately affect men, such as gambling, are made worse by smartphone usage. Over 78 per cent of active online betting accounts are held by men and 70 per cent of callers to the National Gambling Helpline are male.

Try the CAN DO Challenge

The Men's Health Forum, the organisation behind Men’s Health Week, is encouraging men to sign up for their CAN DO Challenge, which promotes five things to do that are scientifically-proven to help us feel better and reduce our screen time.

The five ways are:

• Connect - connect with other people (eg. call an old friend or family member) 
• (Be) Active - move your body (eg. go for a run/walk/swim/dance/etc)
• Notice - take notice of the environment around you (eg. turn off your phone for an hour and look around) 
• Discover - learn something new (eg. read a book you haven't read before)
• Offer (or give) - do something for someone else (eg. volunteer for a local community group) 

You can download the CAN DO manual for free here.

Man MOT Training for Workplaces

To encourage conversations around health, the Men’s Health Forum offers training that can be tailored to the workplace. Lasting around one hour, Man MOT training sessions are available for groups from 5-20 in-person, or as an online session.

Sessions cover topics such as how to look after your mental wellbeing, health risks to men and how to monitor your health.

Picture: a picture of a person sitting on. sofa, using a smartphone. Image Credit: Pexels

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 13 June 2023

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