An Alabama police chief posted an amusing tongue-in-cheek requirement on Facebook that went viral.
The temperature in Heflin is about 3 Celsius. No severe weather alerts have been issued, but due to the winter weather forecast, schools remained closed for the day.
With a free day off for kids, Chief A.J. Benefield from the City of Heflin Police Department made a suggestion that went viral with upwards of 2,000 likes, 140 comments, and 2,984 shares and counting—all positive.
At around 8 a.m., Benefield wrote in a post that “Due to school being closed today, all kids are required to turn over their phones to their parents until their bedrooms are clean, laundry is done, and floors are swept, and mopped. Thank you in advance for helping your parents in this stressful situation. We love y'all!”
Benefield’s reminder to apply the chores before phones rule has parents thinking it’s a good idea.
Some of the comments from parents include:
“Can you enforce that please?” by Arhonda Angle.
“I’m showing my kids this!” by Becky Atkins.
“Does this apply to husband's as well?” by Christina Clontz.
“No way! If I follow your instructions, they’ll call you!” by Victor Rojas Arreguin.
Although Benfield’s post was done in humour, there’s an underlying issue with youth that prioritize screen time— and according to research, it’s getting progressively worse.
According to a 2018 report from ParticipACTION, Canadian children spend an average of seven- and-a-half hours a day staring at screens. That’s nearly four times the recommended screen time of two hours. A new report from the Pew Research Center indicates that two out of three parents are concerned about their child’s use of technology in the past year.
Nature Canada suggests that children are prioritizing screen time over adequate sleep, physical activity, academic performance and time outdoors.
