Oakland Raiders' Marshawn Lynch and San Francisco 49ers Legends Team Up with Common Sense for #DeviceFreeDinner

NFL Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott, and Harris Barton and Raiders' running back Marshawn Lynch encourage families to put down devices during dinnertime

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Common Sense

Nov 12, 2018, 09:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Common Sense, the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology, today announced that past and present football legends Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Harris Burton, Ronnie Lott, and Marshawn Lynch are supporting the organization's award-winning #DeviceFreeDinner movement. The athletes now appear in a fresh set of public service announcements (PSAs) that encourage parents and kids to put down their devices at the dinner table and enjoy in-person conversation.

"Our devices keep us connected, informed, and engaged, but in today's tech-driven world it's important to take breaks," said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense. "Research shows that kids and adults alike feel addicted to their devices, and our need to constantly check them undermines family connections. Family interaction, including eating meals together, is critical for children's social and intellectual development."

Common Sense launched the #DeviceFreeDinner campaign in 2016 to raise awareness of media balance and encourage families to make the most of their time together. The new PSAs feature a variety of mealtime scenarios -- both at home and in a restaurant -- where the NFL stars poke fun at families glued to their devices at the table:

  • "Hot Sauce" has Marshawn Lynch at his Oakland restaurant encouraging some mischief to teach distracted parents a lesson.
  • In "Jerry," NFL Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Harris Barton, and Steve Young give us the play-by-play commentary of a family "fumble" due to distracted dining.
  • "Fundamentals," which also features the 49ers, suggests families take a page out of the #DeviceFreeDinner playbook by putting down devices during mealtimes.

The PSAs will be distributed nationally throughout the NFL season on networks including CBS, Fox, Cox, Xfinity, Charter, and Comcast and across the participating NFL stars' social media channels and the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders websites.

To see the PSAs, please go to www.commonsensemedia.org/psas. To learn more about the #DeviceFreeDinner campaign please visit devicefreedinner.org.

SOURCE Common Sense