Glasgow shopping centre encourages shoppers to switch off
St. Enoch Centre has launched a ‘No Phone Zone’ to encourage shoppers to get off their mobile phones.
The new designated area where phones and other devices will be denied, has been created to ‘enable and encourage people to put their tech down and enjoy real time with real people’.
The initiative has been created in response to various studies which suggest a negative impact on our mental health and wellbeing through excessive mobile phone and social media use.
The ‘No Phone Zone’ will be located in a designated area on the mezzanine within The Atrium Food Court and will initially run for a trial period. The ‘No Phone Zone’ has been supported by leading Scottish Mental Health charity, See Me.
Anne Ledgerwood, general manager of St. Enoch Centre, said: “It is now a common sight to see groups of people sitting together, all looking at their screens rather than engaging with each other and we want to encourage people to switch off their phone and instead to enjoy time together over a bite to eat with a real conversation.
Interim director at See Me, Wendy Halliday, said: “Mental health is part of everyone’s day to day life, it affects all of us, we want people to understand that it is okay not to be okay and you can talk about it.
“So we think it’s a great idea for St. Enoch Centre to set up a ‘No Phone Zone’, a device free area where people can chat with each other about the important things that matter. The more we have areas to talk the more we can change the culture and mental health.”
