Create a device free zone with a garden room

Just 20 years after the internet was founded, it has insinuated itself into the everyday lives of us all and we are only just starting to fathom how the explosion in digital connectivity is shaping society. Perhaps more importantly, there is a general and growing sense of unease surrounding the impact of technological overload on our children.

The notion of, let us call it digital affliction, has yet to be given an official title and research is in its early days. However, we do not need formal definitions or medical studies to tell us that the children of today are getting to grips with technology at a much younger age than would have been thought possible even 10 years ago, and are spending a huge amount of time glued to their electronic devices. Most parents would probably agree that the balance between the time our kids spend sedentarily surfing the web or gaming, and the time they spend outside, playing or reading, has shifted uncomfortably towards the former.

We know that childhood obesity is rising, and suspect that sleep patterns are becoming impaired. For many, it is clear that face to face social interactions are narrowing and engagement with the real world is diminishing. Basically, the trouble lies less in what our children are doing and more in what they are not.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a somewhere to which you and your children could retreat, a device free haven where you can ditch the digital (apart from maybe a good sound system) and engage with each other. Whether you have young children, with whom you want to snuggle up and read a book or play a board game, or older kids that need a distraction free room in which to do their homework, a Garden Escapeprovides a tranquil, light infused space in which to do it. Have your children invite their friends over, politely ask them all to leave their phones, tablets and laptops in the house and turf them out to the den. Maybe install a small kitchenette and fill the fridge with some tasty, healthy snacks and drinks or, if your children are older, provide copious supplies of tea, hot chocolate and toast making kit. Even the most hardened teenage techno geeks will probably be amazed at how much fun it can be, just hanging out and shooting the breeze.