Turn in your cell phone and get free admission at Kidzu on Saturday

The deal is part of Nickelodeon's World Wide Day of Play. During the day, Nickelodeon turns off programming on all its TV channels and websites to encourage parents and kids to play together.

Posted 9:12 p.m. Sep 25, 2019 — Updated 1:20 p.m. Sep 26, 2019

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

, Go Ask Mom editor

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Kidzu Children's Museum is offering this deal to parents on Saturday: Turn in your cell phone at its front desk and get one free adult admission.

Kidzu is marking Nickelodeon's World Wide Day of Play with the offer. During the day, Nickelodeon turns off programming on all its TV channels and websites to encourage parents and kids to play together. Of course, it's hard for parents and kids to play together when us adults have our nose in our smartphone.

Kidzu, which is inside University Place in Chapel Hill, is offering the deal from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28. Admission for adults is usually $8.50.

Surveys and studies have found that smartphones are changing the way families interact with each other, and there are plenty of reasons for parents to put down the phone.

Here are a few of those reasons ...

A Highlights survey found that 62% of kids interviewed say their parents are distracted when they talk to them. The top source of distraction was cell phones. Children, according to the survey, said they believed that their parents considered their phones "essential" and that they would "be mad," "go crazy" and "get a replacement very fast" if they lost it.

Another study from Yale University tracked At&T's rollout of its 3G network and found a 9% increase in emergency room visits for kids under five after the community was hooked up to 3G.

And other research from Illinois State University found that parents who use their smartphones or tablets during family time end up with kids who are more prone to act out, which is reason enough for me to put the phone down.

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