How Much To Go Screen-Free?

I read with great interest the story of the principal in Washington D.C. who is ramping up a screen-free summer challenge for her students.  The challenge is for the eighth and ninth graders is to ditch their cell phones, video games and computers each Tuesday of summer vacation in exchange for $100.  That's 11 screen-free days in exchange for $100.  There are 160 students that are eligible for the challenge, but Principal Diana Smith expects only 50 kids will take her up on it.  Seriously?  $100?  For FREE!?  I'd LOVE to take this challenge, but appreciate how difficult it might be for adults and teens alike.

My son didn't even flinch when I mentioned this story to him.  But then again, I shouldn't be too surprised about that.  Last year I asked him how much we would have to bribe him to go screen-free for the entire summer.  My guess of $500 was WAY off base.  (Cheapskate mom!)  He wasn't interested in even considering the option for less than $1000.  Yowch!

Sure, I'm the parent and I could declare a "screen-free summer" with or without the $1K payout, but that's not the world we live in.  Perhaps just like the practice of 'Meatless Mondays,' going screen-free once a week would make us more aware of the amount of attention and time we dedicate to our screens.  In the end, we might be more mindful of that screen time the other six days of the week.