Ocala and Marion County Are Asking Families to Put Their Phones Down on Saturday, Nov. 14

The ask is simple, and for a lot of households it will be hard: put the phone away for a day and pay attention to the people in the room. Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, is "Look Up Marion, Put Down the Phone Day" in Ocala and Marion County, and both local governments listed a proclamation for it on their Nov. 3 agendas.

On Nov. 3, the 4 p.m. Ocala City Council agenda listed a Look Up Marion, Put Down the Phone Day proclamation for Beth McCall, executive director of the Marion County Children's Alliance. The 9 a.m. Board of County Commissioners agenda carried the same proclamation for approval and presentation to McCall.

AI-generated illustration.

Who is behind it

The campaign belongs to the Marion County Children's Alliance, which runs it at LookUpMarion.com. The alliance says it is leading a community initiative to encourage Marion County residents to commit to a healthier relationship with screens "so we can strengthen our real lives, our families, and our community." The campaign's own graphic shows it also held a Put Down the Phone Day last year, on Nov. 15, 2025.

To make its case, the site cites national figures, including Common Sense Media estimates that children ages 8 to 12 spend an average of four to six hours a day on screens and teens up to nine. It also points to Pew Research findings that 46% of teens say a parent is at least sometimes distracted by a phone when they are trying to talk.

What families are asked to do

There is no event to attend on Nov. 14. The alliance says the day "will look unique to every family's schedule" and asks people to plan ahead. Its suggestions:

• Hold a family meeting about the benefits and dangers of screen time.


• Talk with a partner or the whole family about a "Family Media Plan."


• Disconnect for a meal or a bedtime routine, with phones put away.


• Encourage offline play and outdoor activities.

The site also offers a pledge, which it says requires no personal information, free screen-time guides and a printable family pledge. For the outdoor part, it links to the City of Ocala and Marion County parks departments and the public library. Our guides to Ocala parks, free things to do in Ocala and things to do with kids are a place to start, and the full weekend lineup is on our events calendar.

A summit for parents on Dec. 10

The campaign follows the day with the Look Up Marion, Put Down the Phone Community Summit on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026, at the Webber Center at the College of Central Florida, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. Doors open at 8 a.m., the program starts at 8:30 a.m. and the alliance's ticket page lists the morning as running until 10 a.m. Tickets are $25 and include a continental breakfast.

The featured session, "Kids' Brains & Screens," comes from ScreenStrong, a group the campaign says helps parents understand the science and skip smartphones, social media and video games through adolescence. Tickets are sold through the alliance's event page.