The Tech Free Carpool

I have an interesting story to share that relates to all we do here at PlugOut and finding PlugOut Moments. One of my daughters attends a school in another town, so we formed a carpool to drive back and forth. I share it with three other moms and I drive twice a week. The drive is about an hour roundtrip, with the kids only being in the car a half hour in the morning and afternoon. The carpool consists of three boys and one girl ages 12-13.

Our carpool started in August and was a lot of fun right from the beginning. The conversations were always engaging and very entertaining. The kids were very chatty and sometimes I had to contain my amusement while listening to their stories.

This all changed in late November when one of the boys (let's call him boy #1) got a brand new iPhone 6. He started to bring it to school with him and got it out of his backpack as soon as he got in the car. He would then spend the entire drive playing with his phone and talking about games and apps he had on his phone. Shortly after, Boy #2 started bringing his phone in the car as well. The two of them would play with their phones and the conversation pretty much died. The other two (Boy #3 and my daughter) didn't have smartphones and would have some quiet conversations among themselves, but the atmosphere had changed. The fun and interesting conversations had been brought to a screeching halt!

As an adult it was hard to witness what was happening to the group. In my mind I knew that it was because of the phones. The conversations had vanished as the kids were engaged with their screens. I waited until after the winter break and then announced that my car was going to be screen-free. The first day I got some complaints, but really not as much as I had anticipated. Boys #1 and #2 were annoyed at first and wondered what I could possibly be thinking. They didn't see the problem, but the other two kids who were not on phones knew what was happening.

I let the other three moms know what I was doing. I explained that I work for PlugOut and I needed a break from the screens in my car. They all thought it was a great idea and immediately implemented the screen-free carpool in their cars as well. The fun and interesting conversations came back very quickly and nobody ever asks if they can use their phones. I have to say that this was a great decision and I highly recommend it to others who are driving carpools. We all love our technology, but it shouldn't replace interacting with others. Having a real conversation is always more rewarding than being in a cyber world and staring at a screen. -Gilly Hegenbart