Firstborns are magical. They look up at you with those enormous eyes and you want to give them everything – a life free from trouble and distress, with all the rich experiences the world can offer. Then they turn into teenagers, and present you with the cost of the next rich experience they’d like to put on the list.
Our eldest is about to turn 14, and next on his list is a huge adventure to the Netherlands next summer with Explorer Scouts. It’s a really fantastic trip, packed with activities and once-in-a-lifetime stuff. It’s not cheap, but it’s an excellent deal for the amount they’re packing in – and compared with some of the other opportunities to empty our savings that school has thrown our way, we felt that this one offered terrific value.
Plus, Explorer Scouts being the proactive and go-getting organisation it is, there was strong messaging to all the young people that they should be making efforts to raise money themselves to contribute to their place.
We liked this very much. Our boy agreed he’d like to give it his best shot, and we promised him that he could have 10% of whatever he raised as spending money for the 10 days he’s there.
The AI Inspiration
We set about coming up with ideas that he could easily take on himself that would generate interest and a decent return on the time he’d put in. We considered and discounted various traditional options:
Cake sale: outlay of time and money to produce the goods, and he would need somewhere with a good footfall (or the agreement of another event organiser) for the right number of customers.
Car wash: location for running water and passing trade would need consideration, and Ben’s shorter stature could present some challenges in what he could complete on his own.
Sponsored run or walk: I did this in 1984 to raise money for our first BBC school computer, but it doesn’t have quite the impact it did back then… and given Ben’s love of sport, it didn’t feel like much of a personal sacrifice!
So on a whim, Andy turned to his trusty AI friend, Copilot – who came up with the genius idea of a sponsored digital detox.
It’s the perfect teenage challenge, and ticked every box: something that Ben could manage to do on his own, with no financial outlay required up front, and it most certainly would be a personal sacrifice. It’s also highly relevant in this plugged-in world, especially for a committed member of the gaming community….
And so it was decided: this would be his big fundraising effort for Netherlands 2026.
The Ground Rules
Two weeks would be tough, but three weeks would be a real test, starting in term time and going on for the first two weeks of the holidays – giving him a truly 1980s summer boredom experience!
We agreed the following parameters for the detox:
- No PlayStation and gaming
- No phone – so no WhatsApp or YouTube (and no accessing them by other means such as a smart TV either)
TV would be allowed, and so would access to Netflix. After all, I had an extensive library of VHS recordings to call upon in 1989, and that’s pretty much the same thing.
And so it began…here’s how it went, in his own words…
Teenage Digital Detox: how it was for him
How was Day 1?
Exciting at first, because I knew what I was doing it for and for the new things I could be trying, but it turned out to more difficult than I expected and I was bored quite quickly.
How was life different without your tech?
Not too bad. The biggest thing was messaging friends and not keeping up with what they were all saying to each other. Also not having instant entertainment whenever I wanted it in the day.
What did you do instead of the instant electronic fix?
Jigsaw puzzles, read books, watched some TV; I tidied up shelves in my bedroom, practiced my darts skills with Dad, played cards with Mum, built lego sets I haven’t done for ages, helped in the garden, did some baking, walked my dog, and tried to get my brother to come off his tech and play games with me. We did get a few games of chess in!
What was the best thing you did that you probably wouldn’t have done without the detox?
All the jigsaw puzzles I did. I love doing them normally, and one of Mum’s friends runs a local charity that sells Advent jigsaw puzzles to raise money – 24 envelopes that build up over the month – and she offered to sponsor me if I made some up for her to sell. I did x3 1000 piece Christmas jigsaws for her during my detox! I also enjoyed painting a bathroom cabinet.
What was the most 1980s thing you did during the detox?
Reading a full novel in two days (King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore). I’ve never done that before and I really enjoyed getting that much into it.
How did you keep up with your friends?
It wasn’t easy after school finished, but my best friend’s mum messaged mine to see if I could meet up with a group at the park. Bit embarrassing but it meant I could go out and spend time with them!
Were you happy when Day 21 rolled around?
Yes – I was excited to get my tech back, but I really felt like I’d accomplished something and I was proud.
How many WhatsApp messages did you have to get through afterwards?
7,134! I read maybe about 500 of them…
Is there anything you liked about doing the detox?
Not wasting time on a load of rubbish videos on YouTube that I usually wish I hadn’t bothered with! Also doing all the puzzles.
Is there anything you will still be doing?
Yes. More books and reading them during the day as well, not just at bedtime. Especially ones that people recommend! And less YouTube…
Teenage Digital Detox: how it was for us
I knew that many pleas for something to do would be forthcoming, so I prepared a list of activities that I knew would normally be met with huffing – and generally I found him much more receptive to doing them. Jobs like cleaning out my car, that would normally be greeted with all the teenage whining and sluggishness you would expect, were actually approached with some enthusiasm, and he was even quite proactive towards the best cleaning methods and materials!
About halfway through the detox, another parent asked me, “Is he in a better mood?” – and I had to admit that yes, he was. I’d say general affability was up, and overall complaining was massively down, in spite of the regular updates on his boredom levels. Being off the tech really did make a difference to his overall positivity, helpfulness and outlook.
The Outcome
Overall we were all blown away by the interest it created, and the number of people who thought it was a good idea. So many of the friends and family who saw our posts on Facebook were so supportive, and many even said it was something they’d struggle to do themselves. We were also blown away by their generous donations. With the JustGiving page and some very kind cash donations combined, he’s raised a staggering £500 to put towards his trip – more than we ever imagined when we set about recording the first introduction video.
It’s given him a taste of life without the electronic crutch, as well. I’m not sure I’d want to go back to a world where I can’t just Google something, but I do think it’s worth making time to lift your head out of the information ocean and get some air – and I think a digital detox has taught our teenager that too.
You want to give that tiny baby everything – but taking something away has actually been his reward on this occasion. He’s gained a true sense of accomplishment, a real appreciation for activities that don’t involve tech, and surprise and deep gratitude for the incredible reaction he’s had for doing it. He’ll be taking his place on that trip next year with pride, excitement, and a huge thankyou for all the support.
His JustGiving page is still open if you’d like to see the original intro video we made, or add to his grand total! Digital Detox for Netherlands 2026
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