Bauer Media is calling on people to ditch social media for an hour as part of tomorrow’s World Mental Health Day (10 October), encouraging them to seek real human interaction.

The multimedia groups brands including Absolute Radio, Grazia, Heat, Magic, Closer, and Hits Radio are all asking their audiences to join them in a social media blackout from 1pm to 2pm on Thursday 10 October. During the one-hour period, the brands will stop posting or commenting on social media and encourage people to start face-to-face conversations.

It’s all part of the ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ campaign, which was launched in partnership between Bauer Media UK, Mental Health First Air (MHFA) England, and Natasha Devon MBE during Mental Health Awareness Week 2018.

Research commissioned by the partnership found that 72 per cent of people agree it is important to take break from social media sometimes. It also found that41 per cent of those surveyed view social media as being important to them, yet 81 per cent still agree it should be used in moderation. Perhaps most importantly, 96 per cent believe looking after your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

“At Bauer Media, we firmly believe your mental health is as important as your physical health which is why our Where’s Your Head At? mission is so critical,” said Abby Carvosso, group managing director for Bauer Media advertising. “Whilst social media can be a force for good, our audiences are telling us a short social break can have a positive impact on their mental health which is why we’re enacting our first social media blackout from across our brand portfolio.”

The Bauer Media brands will also take part in other activities surrounding World Mental Health Day including a series from Absolute Radio called ‘Time to Listen’. The series, funded by the Audio Content Fund and produced in partnership with TBI Media, will see UK musicians and comedians discuss the songs which have inspired them, the songs they turn to in times of darkness, and the songs that they associate with the best moments of their life.

There’s also an interview between Heat and Amy Hart about her experiences of mental health and the support received from the Love Island producers, a Zoe Sugg chat with Grazia about her experiences of anxiety, and panel hosted on trolling at the Festival of Marketing by Bauer editorial director Lucie Cave.