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Mission

Improve Youth Mental Wellbeing. Young children and adolescents are struggling with the effects of living life in the virtual world, and suffering the harms of excessive social media—anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, isolation, cyberbullying, body shaming, substance abuse, and suicide. The U.S. Surgeon General Advisory* states:

A picture of a person sitting on the floor, drawn over a yellow circle, with arms on knees and head looking down

Spending over 3 hours a day on social media leads to poor mental health, depression and anxiety—teenagers average 3.5 hrs. a day (4.8 hrs. per recent Gallup poll **) 

On a typical weekday, nearly one-in-three adolescents report using screens until midnight or later, with excessive social media use affecting sleep quality and duration 

A sad face drawn ontop of a yellow circle

Social media may perpetuate body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls 

* source:  hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/youth-mental-health/social-media/index.html 

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** source:  news.gallup.com/poll/512576/teens-spend-average-hours-social-media-per-day.aspx 

Our Purpose

Lessen the Tug of the Virtual World. We created REAL Day™ to help youth and families put away their screens, take time off social media, and ‘Do Something REAL’ instead… on the 1st day of every month—Recreation. Nature. Exercise. Sports. The Arts. Culture. Volunteering. Self-Care. Reading. Skill Building. Hobbies. Play. To help everyone feel a boost in wellbeing and happiness.

What We Do

Mission - What We Do

REAL Day™  Awareness. Create media campaigns and provide support materials to encourage REAL Day™ participation on the 1st of each month. Promote making activities, programs, and events device free—where youth and families can interact, in-person, with sociality and human connection.

REAL Day Communities. Enlist mayors and cities to not only promote REAL Day awareness, but also actively participate as REAL Day Communities—a tangible way to improve the mental wellness and happiness of their youth and families throughout the month. Community leaders, councils, departments, schools, churches, businesses, organizations, and sponsors simply add REAL Day as a screen-free component to existing events, programs, amenities, and services.

REAL Day Partners. Engage businesses and organizations to periodically provide free, sponsored, or discounted activities and incentives to reward REAL Day members. And forge relationships with youth development and activity organizations that offer alternatives to screen time and social media.

Resources. Train volunteers and parents, develop and acquire tools for programs, identify and support qualified mental health and wellness service providers.

Children, parents and families can be intentional with social media:

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  • Focus on real-life friends and relationships

  • Limit social media and doom scrolling

  • Follow people and pages that bring joy

  • Avoid screens at bedtime

  • Stow the phone, live in the moment when out and about

Let's Do Something REAL™... and feel a boost in wellbeing and happiness.

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A young girl with long, straight brown hair is sitting backwards in a chair, her arm on the chair back, chin on her cheek, looking sad

Loneliness hurts bad.

Help a child engage with real friends.

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