Fast food restaurants aren’t usually the picture of health. But McDonald’s is taking an unexpected, though not food-related, step in a healthier direction by helping customers disconnect from their phones during meals, according to CNN.
It’s called the “Phone Off. Fun On.” campaign, Maggie Hiufu Wong writes for CNN. The initiative, currently in place at one McDonald’s location in Singapore, provides 100 transparent lockers so patrons can put their phones away during meals. McDonald’s said that it was “gathering feedback” at this branch before offering lockers at other locations.
The campaign is “part of our efforts to advocate family togetherness and encourage families to spend quality time together,” Linda Ming, director of McDonald’s Singapore’s brand communications and customer care told CNN.
We’ve likely all been “phubbed” (snubbed by someone who looks at their phone rather than paying attention to you, the person standing right in front of them) by our friends and family. Data backs this up, including a McDonald’s survey of 302 parents in Singapore that found 98 percent of them had used their phones during family time, according to CNN. More than two-thirds said that they used their phones during meals and most reported that their kids did the same.
And while some restaurants are moving in the other direction, designing spaces to be Instagram-bait, McDonald’s is part of a growing movement of companies and designers that are helping families and friends return to good old-fashioned, screen-free meals.
Read more on CNN.