Who are we?
Smartphone Free is a parent-led initiative which is supported by Alban City School. We are a group of parents, with children of various ages, who have got together to discuss both the difficulties of parenting in this smartphone era, and what could be done to help parents and children navigate it.
As a school community, we believe in fostering a childhood free from the pressures and risks associated with smartphones and social media. Whilst we are in no way “anti-tech”, and recognise that technology has immense benefits, we believe that young people should be able to enjoy the opportunities it creates when they are ready and when it is safe to do so.
We work alongside the school to introduce new initiatives and help facilitate conversation with, and education to, the school community as well as the children themselves. Following a parent survey back in the Summer of 2024, children are no longer allowed to bring smartphones into school, and feedback has been extremely positive. We have recently gone one step further and banned mobile phone use on school premises, hoping that adults modelling desired behaviour will have a positive impact on the children.
Smartphone Free Childhood
Smartphone Free Childhood is a national movement which encourages parents to stand together, in the hope of reclaiming childhood and reducing the mental health impact and other challenges presented by smartphones and social media. Since its launch in September 2023 over 160,000 parents have signed the Smartphone Free Childhood Pact, as a commitment to delay giving their child a smartphone until the age of 14 (at the earliest). The hope is that if it is no longer the norm to have a smartphone by Year 7, the social pressure will be significantly reduced and parents will no longer worry that their child will be socially excluded if they don’t have a smartphone.
What can you do?
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- Sign the pact: https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/sign-the-parent-pact
- Consider the alternatives to smartphones: https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/alternatives
- If you’d like to join our working party, please email the school office and we shall get in touch with you.
Useful resources
- An excellent 12 minute video from Papaya Parenting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zhfd0jW7iY
- A 30 minute summary of the leading book on the subject, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn_Ha37cNrk
- A powerful documentary called “Swiped” on Channel4: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/swiped-the-school-that-banned-smartphones
- There is a wealth of useful information on the Smartphone Free Childhood website: https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/resources-for-parents
