Barton Peveril Students Have Digital Detox to Manage Stress and Look After Their #MentalHealth

Barton Peveril Sixth Form College have successfully trialled a new initiative that lets students experience a ‘Digital Detox’ once a month, in one of the College’s cafes.

In exchange for not using their phones and devices, instead talking directly to their peers, students received a free piece of cake and a hot drink. After the trial’s success, the Digital Detox sessions will continue to run over the next academic year.

The College’s Health and Wellbeing Team planned the initiative; College Counsellor Helen Cunliffe and College Nurse Shelley Hughes thought of the idea so that students could disconnect from the online world and reconnect with their immediate environment.

Each Digital Detox saw 100 students attend, increasing in popularity throughout the year and prompting the Health and Wellbeing Team to continue the initiative on a permanent basis.

Speaking on the sessions, College Counsellor Helen Cunliffe said:

“The Digital Detoxes have been incredibly popular, all year. They give students a chance to take a break from their phones and computers, to relax with their friends and be more mindful, which helps them manage stress and look after their mental health.”