Students Present Solutions to Distracted Behavior Epidemic at Emerson College Conference

BOSTON, June 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The rising use of digital technology and the dangerous behavioral patterns that have emerged - including distracted driving/walking from talking and texting on their phones - was the theme of public relations campaigns presented by students from 13 countries and 6 continents this past weekend at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Sponsored by AB InBev, the winning group will present their campaign on Monday, June 2, 2014 at the AB InBev headquarters as a kickoff in the ongoing discussion of how to combat what some perceived as the 21st century disease.

One solution presented at the Boston conference was a phone application to reward people for not using their phones by providing discounts at retailers around the world.

Dr. J. Gregory Payne, a professor at Emerson who organized the conference views distracted behavior as "the 21^st century war on drugs; it is the number one cause of death of young people 19 – 29 worldwide, and this menace is increasing each day," said Payne,

Felix Chen, a student from China on the winning team, believes the "youth of the world must take the lead in persuading our peers to realize that just like seatbelts, awareness of the dangers of distracted behavior, is a key to saving lives."  Russian student Veronika Buglova concurs and adds that people's addiction to their electronic devices also means "people miss out on experiencing so much in life because they are glued to their phones, choosing technology over human communication."

Universities including Spain, Russia, Mexico, New Zealand, US, Chile, Germany, Australia, Portugal, UAE, England, South Africa participated in the Emerson Conference, and students will continue to work on distracted behavior strategies and tactics both on the global and grass roots local level. Prof. Enric Ordeix of Barcelona pledged to continue work with other global colleagues "in the effort to save and protect our most important global asset – our youth."

To learn more about the conference and the distracted behavior campaign contact Spencer Kimball, 617-504-6112 or Email.

SOURCE Emerson College