In the interests of true community togetherness, both children and adults have been banned from using mobile phones at a playground on the Italian island of Sicily.
Thanks to the Balestrate parents' association, the sign prohibiting phones was put up at the entrance to the playground on Monday. Those entering are encouraged to place their devices in the cabinets at the entrance.
"The purpose of this playground is to draw the attention of both children and parents to community assets," said Riccardo Vescovo, the creator of the project.
"By avoiding social media and our smartphones, we can appreciate the reality around us and rediscover the values of life," Vescovo explained, and Pope Francis he emphasized: this is an opportunity for people to spend their time in real community instead of social media.
"This is great news for both children and parents," said Piera Testaverde, president of the Balestrate parents' association. As he noted, the children are careful to follow the rules, but the parents are also receptive, since they also like to leave the world of technology for a few hours.
The president of the parents' association that introduced the phone ban revealed that in order to enforce the rule, they also placed some games reminiscent of the old days on the playground "so that the children can play together with their grandparents."
The Balestrate playground near Palermo, which is visited by hundreds of people a day, is the first public square in Italy to ban the use of smartphones.
Source: MTI/ANSA
Photo: zinkevych/freepik.com
2022 plus:
It would be worthwhile to follow the example of the Sicilians, also in the playgrounds of Hungarian settlements. Maybe there will be mayors who would also make some financial sacrifices (closets, old toys) so that moms and dads can play with their children instead of pressing the phone. You don't have to make a vanity question out of such things, because taking good initiatives and ideas from others is not a shame, it's even commendable.
