ThaiHealth Hosts Early Childhood Screen Reduction Expo in Lamphun

The Thai Health Promotion Foundation, in collaboration with the Lamphun Provincial Local Administration Promotion Office, the wearehappy group, and the Lamphun Local Teachers and Educational Personnel Club, organised a creative media flea market expo titled "Reduce Screens, Increase Heart for Early Childhood in Lamphun" at the Grand Pa Hotel and Resort, Mueang District, Lamphun Province on 6 October. This provincial-level event was held as a key platform to present health media innovations for young children, as well as to deliver early childhood development policy proposals to 58 local government organisations and educational agencies across Lamphun Province, aiming to serve as a model for sustainable problem-solving.

Screen Addiction Crisis and Local Solutions

Mrs Benjawan Meepuek, Deputy Governor of Lamphun Province and chair of the opening ceremony, highlighted the significance of children aged 0 to 6 years, describing it as a golden period when brain development is at its fastest, reaching up to 90 per cent. The physical, emotional, social, and cognitive skills formed at this age become the most crucial foundation of life. However, modern society faces the major challenge of screen addiction and inappropriate media consumption among children. These directly affect higher-level brain functions, putting children at risk of attention deficits, aggressive behaviour, and a lack of social skills for interacting with others. Addressing this issue requires an early childhood health media mechanism, comprising three components: good media, safe spaces, and strong immunity. This aims to turn screen time into time for creative play and learning. Childcare teachers and local personnel thus play a vital role as health communicators, bridging the gap between early childhood development centres, families, and the community.

The success of this event resulted from the concrete initiatives driven by network partners, starting from the signing of a memorandum of understanding between agencies, to organising practical training workshops to enhance the capacity of 109 teachers from 57 local government organisations. This training led to practical implementation in the "100 Days: Reduce Screens, Increase Heart" project, which allowed teachers and parents to collaborate in setting up creative media corners and documenting activities in a family logbook, ultimately creating outstanding provincial-level model early childhood development centres and educational institutions.

Event Activities and Policy Advocacy

The event began with a warm welcoming performance by children titled "The Call from Lamphun Children: Put Down the Screen and Come Play with Me", reflecting the genuine desire of children for quality time and interaction with their parents and teachers rather than living in a virtual world. Attendees were also able to explore a creative media flea market, which featured handmade toys and materials crafted from natural resources. The event included a family activity space encouraging parents to play creatively with their children, alongside presentations of local wisdom and traditional ways of life to carry forward the local culture. Furthermore, successful innovations for reducing children's screen time from 16 model educational institutions were exhibited, complemented by an academic panel discussion to exchange perspectives among representatives from various sectors.

Mr Rungroj Sunthorn, Lamphun Provincial Local Administration Officer, emphasised that children are the heart of the community. Past initiatives have yielded empirical evidence showing that children can reduce their screen time by an average of 30 to 60 minutes per day, with over 300 families successfully transforming spaces in their homes into screen-free play areas. The most valuable investment for local communities is building intellectual and emotional resilience in youth. The agency is therefore ready to integrate this concept into local educational development plans and budget ordinances. Ms Saijai Kongthon, Head of the Health Media Ecosystem Development Project, added that addressing this issue is not about confiscating mobile phones, which could lead to resistance from children, but rather about providing them with fun and creative alternatives. It involves introducing positive factors, such as beneficial spaces and media, to gradually strengthen family relationships.

Towards the end of the event, policy proposal books were presented to 6 educational agencies and representatives from 58 local government organisations, alongside certificates of honour awarded to 16 model educational institutions. The event concluded with a workshop for the teacher network to exchange innovations and plan future collaborations, aiming to establish Lamphun Province as a sustainable, safe, and nurturing model environment for children.

This press release will be of interest to event organisers seeking examples of local-level social initiatives, as well as educational professionals and government agency staff looking to study approaches for youth and child development projects. Furthermore, it provides valuable insights for the general public and families concerned about the contemporary issues surrounding children's media usage.