Welcome to Newton Poppleford School’s Smartphone-Free Childhood webpage!
Smartphone Free Childhood: Sign the Parent Pact
This is your go-to page for the latest updates and resources, as well as a chance to connect with our supportive community. We're here to help you feel confident and empowered in giving your child the freedom to fully enjoy their childhood—free from the distractions of smartphones.
When children started getting them, there was no research about their impact. Now there is, and it’s overwhelming: smartphones expose children to harmful content, raise the likelihood of developing mental health issues and are highly addictive.
Last year, we asked you how you felt about giving smartphones to your child. There was an overwhelming response to our survey, and the results spoke for themselves.
“But all my friends have phones!” – sound familiar?
Parents and carers have been put in an impossible position: either we give our children access to something that opens the door to bullying, inappropriate adult content, grooming and the anxiety-machine that is social media, or we risk alienating them from their peers.
And let’s be very clear on two points:
But until tech companies and government make things safe, it’s up to parents and carers to do what is right for our children. Of course technology is part of the world now, and children need to learn how to use it, but young children aren’t equipped to have a healthy relationship with something so addictive.
So, we’re getting organised to take collective action.
Sign the “Smartphone Free Pledge” at Newton Poppleford in which you can pledge to delay giving your child a smartphone until after primary school.
With the support of the school we’re engaging pupils and parents to start learning about the dangers, the smartphone alternatives and empower your family to feel in control of the decision.
When parents and carers collectively sign the Smartphone Free Pledge, we create a supportive community that backs each other up. We’ll have the confidence to push back on the expectation that all of our kids’ friends are getting phones. By acting together, we can protect our children’s mental and physical health, development, safety, and overall well-being.
This isn’t a change that’s just happening in Newton Poppleford. By joining the Smartphone Free Pledge at Newton Poppleford Primary School, you’ll join a growing movement of parents, carers, and school communities across the country who all believe that childhood is too short to be spent on a smartphone. Find more information here: https://smartphonefreechildhood.co.uk/
Perhaps the pledge isn’t quite right for you, your child, or your family. We know everyone is doing the best for their kids however you decide to handle smartphones. We hope we can still provide resources, information, and support to all of the Newton Poppleford community – those making the pledge or not – as our kids start to have online lives.
