Will Ferrell's Darkly Comic New Ads Show How Our Devices Are Ruining Family Time

It's no secret that mobile devices have made us more disconnected from our immediate surroundings (even as we obsessively document them). But what has it done to family life? Or more to the point, to quality family time? New ads from Goodby Silverstein & Partners (and Biscuit Filmworks director Clay Weiner) for the nonprofit Common Sense Media dramatize—hyperbolically, and with help from Will Ferrell—how smartphones have transformed a particularly cherished ritual, the family dinner, from a time to reconnect into yet another time to disconnect. A handful of :30s and :15s feature the actor comically lost in the wonders of his phone, while his family sits there stunned, watching him engage with social media and even take videos of himself eating to share with his virtual network, aka his other family. The campaign is supported by Comcast's Xfinity. Check out three of the :30s here: [kickout id="1"] [kickout id="2"] [kickout id="3"] A fourth :30, "Attention," has a bit more bite—and will run on Funny Or Die: [kickout id="9"] And here are a few more :15s: [kickout id="5"] [kickout id="6"] [kickout id="7"] "It's no fun to show someone disciplining a kid, but disciplining a parent who happens to be played by a famous comedian? Major fun," Jeff Goodby, founder and chairman of GS&P, said in a statement. "We know that kids who have dinners at the table without devices get better grades, have healthier eating habits and are more socialized than kids who have devices at the table," added Margaret Johnson, partner and chief creative officer. "So we enlisted some celebrity help to show the importance of having device-free dinners." Ferrell and his wife Viveca are personally committed to the cause, Common Sense tells Adweek. "As a family, they are focused on putting down devices and sharing quality time together, and dinner time is an easy way to do that," the group says. (Ferrell donated his time to support the campaign.) In the spots, it's Dad who's the culprit—but the larger issue is more about children and their own devices. According to Common Sense, 42 percent of children 8 and under have their own tablet device, up from less than 1 percent in 2011. Also, their average amount of time spent with mobile devices is up nearly tenfold in that period, from five minutes a day in 2011 to 48 in 2017. Here are some other finding from new Common Sense research: Ninety-five percent of families with children age 0 to 8 now have a smartphone (up from 63 percent in 2013 and 41 percent in 2011), and 78 percent have a tablet (up from 40 percent in 2013 and 8 percent just six years ago, in 2011). Families with young children are now more likely to have a subscription video service such as Netflix or Hulu (72 percent) than they are to have cable TV (65 percent). According to parents, nearly half (49 percent) of children age 8 or under often or sometimes watch TV or videos or play video games in the hour before bedtime, contrary to recommendations from pediatricians. Today, about one in 10 kids age 8 or under has a "smart" toy that connects to the internet (10 percent) or a voice-activated virtual assistant device available to them in the home, such as an Amazon Echo or Google Home (9 percent). "In today's tech-driven world, where things are moving so quickly, it is really important to step back and take a hard look at what technology kids are using and how they are using it," said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense. "Over the last six years, we have seen massive growth in media use and tablet ownership, and we haven't even begun to experience the explosion of new technologies like virtual reality and voice-activated assistants in our homes. If we want to ensure our kids develop well and are successful in life, we have to make sure they get the most out of tech while protecting them from potential risks—and that means paying close attention to the role media is playing in their lives." Separately, Comcast commissioned its own survey, conducted by Wakefield Research, which uncovered some more data about the issue of devices at mealtimes specifically. The survey found: Nearly every parent surveyed (98 percent) agrees that disconnecting from devices during mealtime improves family bonding. More than half (52 percent) of parents have been told by their children to put their device away during meals. More than two in five parents (42 percent) can't remember the last time their family had a device-free meal. And millennial parents have an especially hard time remembering the last time they broke bread without a device at the table (49 percent), compared to Gen Xers (37 percent) and Boomers (33 percent). Parents admit to taking away their children's devices an average of once a week and more than half (56 percent) have found their children trying to sneak their devices when they were banned from them. Nearly one-third (31 percent) of parents make their children leave their devices in a basket before bedtime, while 14 percent go so far as to disconnect their modems to stop Wi-Fi usage. Comcast has a "Pause Device" home Wi-Fi control feature, which it says has become the most popular function on the company's new Xfinity xFi platform. GS&P also made a spot advertising that feature, which you can see here: [kickout id="8"] CREDITS Campaign: #DeviceFreeDinner Client: Common Sense Media CEO & Founder: Jim Steyer VP Marketing & GM: Ellen Pack Senior Director, Brand Marketing: Diane Jones Lowrey Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners Creative Co-Chairmen: Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein Chief Creative Officer: Margaret Johnson Art Director: Hanna Wittmark Copywriter: Kate Baynham Account Account Director: Melissa Buck Production Director of Production: Tod Puckett Producer: Olivia Baker Business Affairs Director of Business Affairs: Judy Ybarra Production Companies Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks Director: Clay Weiner Partner/Managing Director: Shawn Lacy Executive Producer: Holly Vega Producer: Lisa Stockdale Head of Production: Mercedes Allen-Sarria / Rachel Glaub Director Of Photography: Doug Chamberlain Production Designer: Jeff Higinbotham Editorial: Arcade Edit Editor: Sean LaGrange Assistant Editor: Tessa Malsam Head of Production: Kirsten Thon-Webb Executive Producer: Crissy DeSimone Producer: Adam Parker Online/VFX: Timber Creative Directors / Partners - Jonah Hall & Kevin Lau Executive Producer: Sabrina Elizondo Head of Production: Melody Alexander Lead Flame Artist: Chris Homel Flame Assistant: Brandon Harden Sr. Producer: Emily Avoujageli Colorist: Gregory Reese Executive Producer: Thatcher Peterson Color Producer: Diane Valera Sound Design/ Mix: Company: LIME Studios Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Mixer: Joel Waters Asst. Mixer: Stephen Fredericks Music: Butter Composer: Max Schad (BMI) Executive Producer: Annick Mayer Publisher/Label: Butter Cuts (BMI)