Will Ferrell Is Your Distracted Dad In These Tech Responsibility PSAs

What: A new PSA campaign starring Will Ferrell to raise awareness around responsible tech and media for kids.

Who: Common Sense Media, Goodby Silverstein & Partners

Why we care:  Walking down the street, driving, eating, swimming–our phones are never far from our fingertips. But, to the shock and horror of Helen Lovejoy, we don’t think enough about the effect this behavior may have on kids growing up with these devices. Common Sense Media, a San Francisco nonprofit that raises awareness to promote safe technology and media for children, is hoping that making us laugh at ourselves will help us realize the gravity of the situation. The group’s annual media study found that the average amount of time spent with mobile devices has increased nearly 10 times since 2011. That’s a lot of dinnertime minutes.

As funny as Will Ferrell is here, there’s a ring of sadness to just how normal this situation is. And it doesn’t have to be family dinner. Look around a restaurant next time you’re out and count how many couples are on their phones while they’re supposed to be on a date. Still, it’s comforting to see Ferrell awkwardly holding court at a family dinner again, all that’s missing is his Dodge Stratus.