Herts launches pop-up play café to promote healthy digital use
A free, pop-up play café, aimed at promoting healthy digital use, is being launched by the University of Hertfordshire in partnership with The Galleria for October half term.
Switch Off, Play On! play café, running from Tuesday 29 October until Saturday 2 November, will have over a hundred new and donated board games, puzzles and toys for families to explore and enjoy while learning about healthy digital behaviour.
Linked to Herts-led research into ‘Problematic Use of Internet (PUI)’ - how the internet can affect mental health and wellbeing - with information and guidance from the research group’s resultant publication Learning to deal with Problematic Usage of the Internet, Switch Off, Play On! aims to be a welcoming, educational space where families and friends are encouraged to switch off their phones, and rediscover the joy of connecting over a traditional board game or simple play experience.
Hosted by The Galleria in Hatfield, in a shop unit on the top floor opposite Café Nero, Switch Off, Play On! will be open to the public from 11am-4pm every day, except on Wednesday, 30 October, when it will open from 1pm-4pm. A special SEN session, organised in collaboration with charity Potential Kids, an award-winning charity based at The Galleria that provides learning, social and sports opportunities to Neurodivergent children and young people, will then run from 10am-12pm on Wednesday 30 October, with attendees encouraged to book.
Part of the wider ESRC Festival of Social Science 2024, a national event celebrating social science research and knowledge through public engagement activities, which has the theme ‘Our Digital Lives’ this year, the space will also feature interactive displays of other University of Hertfordshire social science research for individuals to discover.
Professor Wendy Wills, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at the University of Hertfordshire, said:
“We’re really excited to welcome families to our Switch Off, Play On! play café this October half term as part of Herts’ activity for the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2024. As well as being a fun, family experience, we’re hoping it will help to raise awareness of PUI and the interventions identified by Herts-led research, while promoting ways for us all to develop healthier behaviour around how we use and interact with digital technology. Like anything, it’s all about balance, and being able to recognise when things are tilting too much in one direction and knowing what to do about it.
“It’s also a great opportunity to check out the other Herts research on display, and I would urge people to have a look at the wider Herts’ Festival of Social Science programme going on throughout the month. It features talks and exhibitions on subjects ranging from how digital technology can transform the lives of older adults to how digital transport services can be more accessible, and even a live cookalong on healthy eating. all aimed at showcasing social science research being carried out at your local university that is having real world impact.”
Tim Stirling, Centre Director at The Galleria, said:
“It’s fantastic to be working with the University of Hertfordshire team for this brilliant pop-up and to be able to provide a space within the centre where the community can come together to access and enjoy a whole host of traditional games and toys for free.
“Where we live in such a digitally led world these days, it’s really vital that initiatives like this happen, to educate people about how to switch off and enjoy a world of play that can give them breathing space away from the digital world. It’s also really important to get behind projects like this, aimed at supporting positive mental health and wellbeing, as the digital world can have a really negative impact on people’s lives.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with the University and supporting this pop-up. We look forward to welcoming the local community into the centre to enjoy it with us, and it will be so lovely to see people from all generations, some of whom only grew up with traditional games and toys, the chance to enjoy the things on offer together. It’s sure to be an experience that will leave lasting memories for all those who take part.”
It was under Consultant Psychiatrist Professor Naomi Fineberg, who chaired a network of researchers from 38 countries, that the University of Hertfordshire led the world's first international research into PUI after it was identified that research up until then was fragmented and localised. The group aimed to identify and understand problems associated with internet use, such as gambling, gaming, and excessive social media use, as well as seeking to pinpoint the cause of these problems and unlock how society can best manage them.
As a result, they produced the e-book Learning to deal with Problematic Usage of the Internet to provide members of the public with more research evidence and support on this area, as well as to successfully lobby for development of new clinical services to treat the recently classified Gaming Disorder.
Consultant Psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Hertfordshire, Naomi Fineberg, said:
“Since its development in the early 1990’s, the internet has become highly pervasive across most of the civilised world. While the majority of internet users take advantage of its many positive uses, some individuals can develop Problematic Use of the Internet (PUI), that is, repetitive disabling behaviours characterised by compulsivity and addiction, including but not limited to internet gaming, internet-related buying or shopping disorder, internet-related gambling disorder and obsessive social media/network forum use.
“Our research identifies those most at risk from the internet before the problem takes hold, along with developing effective interventions that reduce its harms, both at an individual and public health level. As well as condensing and explaining this research, our companion e-book Learning to deal with Problematic Usage of the Internet provides suggestions on how those struggling to control internet use might deal with these issues, including providing ‘top tips’ for parents.”
“Lots of these will be shared within the Switch Off, Play On! play café, which aims to further raise awareness of PUI and the interventions we have identified, while promoting ways for us all to develop healthier behaviour around how we use and interact with digital technology. Like anything, it’s all about balance, and being able to recognise and act when things are tilting too much in one direction. We really hope as many people as possible come and enjoy the play café, and also learn something while they are there.”
The wider ESRC Festival of Social Science, taking place between Saturday 19 October and Friday 9 November for 2024, has been running for more than 20 years and made possible thanks to funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). For 2024, it will see 41 universities deliver over 200 exciting, creative and free events across the UK in October and November, encompassing many areas of the social sciences: economics, psychology, sociology, business, economic and social history, politics and human geography, among others.
As well as the play café, researchers from the University of Hertfordshire are running a wider programme of in-person and online activities, that further include workshops, talks and displays on how we can better tackle plastic pollution; the challenges faced by pregnant and postnatal women in prison; how everyday digital technology can transform the lives of older adults; how digital transport services can be more inclusive; how new healthcare models can help the NHS and what can be done to support the emotional work of parents with autistic children on family holidays. All events are aimed at showcasing important research findings that have an impact on real life, as well as knowledge and guidance to help us all live better lives.
Stian Westlake, ESRC Executive Chair, said:
"The ESRC Festival of Social Science offers a unique insight into UK social science research and its relevance to individuals, society and the economy. There are hundreds of free events taking place across the UK and online, including at the University of Hertfordshire. We hope you enjoy the events and finding out more about social scientists’ work."
Find out more about Switch Off, Play On! and other Herts events for the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2024, or visit the Festival of Social Science page for more information about the wider festival.