Foresters, a Canadian life insurance company (can one think of an institution that sounds more stable and grounded?) just released a “Tech Timeout” survey looking at household Internet use in the United States. A couple things they found:

  • 77% of US parents believe their family would benefit from taking a one hour break every day from technology.
  • More than two-thirds (67%) of US parents admit that they overuse some form of technology.
  • On average, a US resident admits to spending 6.5 hours per day on electronic devices outside of work.

One feature of this is that it’s not just aimed at individuals, like many digital detoxes or tech sabbath projects; rather, it “encourages families to take a daily break from technology.” It would be interesting to know if this group approach works better, or appeals to people who wouldn’t go it alone.

(Thanks to Jesse Fox for pointing it out to me.)