In Pursuit of Analogue? Parenting in a Digital Age
A conversation for parents, carers and children about being a parent and a child in an age of devices
Wednesday 30th June
6.00 - 8:00 pm
The Millhouse, Rose Mills, Ilminster TA19 9PS
The government just announced its intention to ban social media for under-16s. This will have a huge impact on some families as they navigate this shift. At the same time, Toy Story 5 has got powerful messages for parents and children alike about the impact of devices and how we can learn to live alongside tech while balancing the need for children to play and experience a life outside technology. There’s also been a backlash from many, including children themselves, about the ban and how it might have more negative consequences than anticipated.
This evening is an invitation to a conversation about these important issues about how we parent and what kind of balance we want children to have with technology and how we can help them to have a healthy relationship with technology. It is also an opportunity to share tips and concerns in a friendly and supportive environment. By attending, you agree not to judge and to offer an ear, undrstanding and a commitmnet to taking one action away with you, however large or small it may feel.
it is not a proposal for a detox programme or a lecture about screen time.
In Pursuit of Analogue is a new initiative for parents and carers in the South West who are thinking about what it means to raise children in a world designed to capture their attention. We are not anti-technology. We are pro-childhood. Pro-presence. Pro-the kind of connection that does not need a signal.
The evening will begin with a short talk on what it means for children to grow up with purpose, rhythm and a sense of belonging to the real world. There will be space for honest discussion, shared experience and, if you want to bring them, children's poems or drawings about the world as they see it. You are welcome to bring your children to be part of this conversation, if you feel it is appropriate. Analogue games will be available for children to play if needed but they cannot be left unsupervised. Due to the topic of conversation we politely ask that children don’t play on screens during the event.
We will talk about things like:
what happens when children spend more time in the digital world than the physical one
what we remember from our own childhoods, and whether our children are getting anything like it
what small things — not grand gestures — might actually make a difference
how other parents are navigating this, and what solidarity looks like
Free to attend. A suggested donation of £5 supports the Millhouse community programme. Tea, coffee and a chance to linger afterwards.
The Millhouse is an arts and heritage space at Rose Mills Industrial Estate, Ilminster. There is free and convenient parking.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01-05-expert-comment-why-cherish-analogue-digital-age
