Local sporting clubs unite for Cyber-Free Friday

Ardara GAA, Naomh Conaill GAA, and other local sporting clubs in the local area are coming together to launch a Cyber Free Friday to spread awareness by banning smartphones for children for a day. 

It’s been an issue that has raised eyebrows, tensions, and voices in homes and schools around Ireland. Now, in Ardara, Glenties, and the surrounding areas, the public has agreed to impose a smartphone ban on Friday to highlight the danger smartphones can cause particularly among young children. 

“There’s a national movement called #ittakesavillage and basically it focuses on the effects of giving smartphones to children at an early age,” Ardara GAA PRO Adrian Brennan said. 

“The campaign is trying to create awareness and encourage parents not to give young children in primary school smartphones and then for everybody to be aware of how much screen time they are using. 

“There’s a national campaign called Cyber Friday where it’s going on for 24 hours and people will be putting away their smartphones, but locally here we’ll be asking families to ditch their smartphones from 6pm Friday to 12pm Saturday.” 

And it’s not just the GAA and sporting clubs getting involved, with the local community and schools also jumping on board. 

“Grattan Butler is the man who got everybody together on this including the Comprehensive school in Glenties and all the primary schools in the area,” Brennan said. 

“We then have the Naomh Conaill and Ardara GAA clubs who are also coming on board with this, as well as the local athletics clubs and basketball clubs getting involved too.”