Here are some statistics that should concern anyone in a relationship. 51% of couples claim their partner is distracted by their phone. 40% of people think their partner spends too much screen time. Nearly half of Americans spend over 5 hours on their phones daily. Kahlua took note of this, and they came up with a fun way to raise awareness: the Kahlua Stir It Up Challenge.
Before we dig into the Kahlua Stir It Up Challenge, there is one final, rather sobering, statistic (pun intended):
Did you know the average person will spend 76,500 hours or almost nine years on their mobile device over the course of their life?
We will spend nine years of our lives on devices that didn’t even exist a generation ago! That can’t be healthy for any of us, and it should concern anyone who values their relationship.
Kahlua, a brand known for its coffee liqueur, decided to raise awareness of this while promoting its product. They are inviting consumers to “Stir it Up” and “toss their tech (phones, laptops, etc.) for 30 nights to spend the time with your partner.”
Kahlua will select one couple from among the applicants; that couple will be invited to enter into a 30-night challenge beginning Sunday, January 16, 2022, at 6:30 pm. The challenge will end at 6:30 pm on February 15, 2022, with Valentine’s Day marking the 30th and final night of the challenge.
The winning couple will also receive a ‘Kahlua Kit’ on wheels, packed with 30-nights of activities to help stir up their routines from perfecting the Kahlua Espresso Martini to facing off in a cooking challenge to trying their hand at feng shui.
Here are some of the requirements from the official rules, but you should read the full set of rules and see if it’s something that you and your partner could do!
- The grand prize finalist Qualifier Couple must participate in the Challenge for thirty (30) straight nights scheduled to occur from approximately 6:30 pm local time on 1/16/2022 to 6:30 am local time on 2/15/2022.
- During the Challenge, the Qualifier Couple shall commit to not utilizing the internet or social media via any mobile device, tablet, laptop, or personal computer during any night of the Challenge for the duration of the Sponsor designated time period (6:30 pm local time to 6:30 am local time, or as otherwise designated by Sponsor) excluding any Sponsor approved or emergency access or use that may be required during the Challenge (including personal, health, work related or other emergency), including access via their own device or any 3rd party device.
- At the start of the time period, the Qualifier Couple shall agree to store their devices and not access the internet or social media via their mobile device, tablet, laptop, or personal computer until 6:30a local time, except in the event of any required emergency access or use as outlined above;
- Participation shall not preclude the Qualifier Couple from monitoring their device(s), or from sending, receiving, or accepting any emergency related phone calls, emails, text messages, or other form of communication via any mobile device, tablet, laptop, or personal computer;
- Any other individuals who reside in the same household as the Qualifier Couple (i.e., children or other relatives or roommates) shall still be allowed to access the internet and social media via their own mobile devices, tablets, laptops, or personal computers via WiFi, router, hot spot, etc., provided they do not share access with the Qualifier Couple.
- The Qualifier Couple shall be able to participate in Sponsor approved non-internet based activities such as watching TV (including previously downloaded streaming shows), movies (including on-demand), video games without live internet-connected game playing, taking photos, reading via previously downloaded content on electronic devices, listening to music or music services, making landline phone calls or utilizing any 3rd party device that connects to the internet, however, the Qualifier Couple may be allowed to make phone calls and send text messages in case of an emergency (without connecting to the internet);
- During the Challenge, the Qualifier Couple shall be required to document and provide proof of their participation in “Stirring up their Routine” including participating and engagement in the list of Sponsor provided non-internet or social media-based activities. Such documentation and proof shall include:
- Taking a daily photo utilizing the Sponsor provided Polaroid camera or other available camera (including mobile or digital camera), showing their participation/engagement in any of the Sponsor provided activities, and submitting such photos to the Sponsor at the conclusion of the Challenge;
- Completing any Sponsor provided survey or questionnaire confirming which Sponsor provided activities were participated/engaged in and completed;
- Participating in any Sponsor required calls or interviews during the Challenge (including via Zoom, Team Meetings or other service/software) with Sponsor representatives regarding their progress and participation in the Challenge.
- Following completion of the Challenge, on a date as solely determined and designated by Sponsor, the Qualifier Couple shall be required to submit to and complete a polygraph test, administered by Sponsor appointed representative, to confirm their participation and engagement in the Sponsor provided activities, and verify that they completed the requirement to be ‘internet and social media free’ in a manner acceptable by Sponsor during the designated time period for each of the 30-nights of the Challenge.
I told my wife Raina about this, and she replied that it sounded fun but, “there’s no way you could ever do that.” Sadly, she’s probably correct.