1/PLEDGE
Take the pledge to delay giving your child a smartphone
2/DOWNLOAD
Use our resources to help have conversations
with your kids.
3/SHARE
Share the movement with other parents as widely as you can.
Welcome to the
“Unplug Childhood”
Movement
If you’re here, then you’re aware (like so many other parents) that access to social media and devices is not in our children’s best interests, and you want to know what you can do about it.
In recent years, social media companies have been put under the spotlight.
Why does it matter?
Real-Life Bad Guys
Mendacious CEOs have failed to implement basic safety protocols in spite of their knowledge that children are being harmed by their products.
Dangerous Algorithms
Algorithms have been shown to push harmful content, including suicide-related material, to vulnerable kids.
Academic Consequences
Screens, particularly social media, interfere with academic performance and displace real-world experience that is vital for children’s development.
Safety Risks
Social media and smartphones expose children to significant safety risks, such as sextortion, unsolicited nude images, scams, privacy concerns, and online bullying.
Mental Health
An increasing number of studies link social media with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, body objectification, gender identity difficulties, sleep disturbances, non-suicidal self-harm, and suicide.
So, what can we do about it?
Join the village and “Unplug Childhood” with us!
1/PLEDGE
“I pledge to delay giving my child a smartphone until at least high school, and to keep them off social media until they are at least 14 years old.”
NOTE: We’ll only email you with content related to Unplug Childhood.
2/DOWNLOAD
Dowload your welcome pack from your email, including this Screen-Free Fun activity printable
3/SHARE
Share the Unplug Childhood campaign far and wide. Use the images in your welcome pack, or share our posts.
Let’s Unplug Childhood!
- We don't let our kids drink alcohol before 18 because we know it's unsafe and unhealthy.
- We don't let our kids gamble before 18 because we know it's unsafe and unhealthy.
- We don't let our kids drive a car before they're 16, and they have a permit for the same reason.
Some great people are working on a top-down, legislative approach to making social media illegal for under-16s because we know it’s unsafe and unhealthy. We support them completely. We need those laws. Our kids need them.
But laws will take a long time to be passed and implemented. (The technology to do it is questionable… and it needs to be a Commonwealth decision rather than a state-by-state movement.) It’s going to cost a bomb… and parents need help knowing how to make this happen even after legislation is passed.
We don’t think we can afford to wait that long.
The deal has always been, according to the social media giants themselves, that our kids should not be on socials before 13. That’s nothing new. But too many of us are not playing by the rules. The majority of primary school-aged children we speak to have social media accounts. And they have smartphones.
The house is still on fire. And our kids are in the house!
Let’s put this fire out. We can do something about this. Today!
Who needs screens!?
There’s too much fun to be had in the real world!
Get this “Screen-Free Fun” Printable when you take the Unplug Childhood Pledge!
“Is an unplugged childhood even possible!?”
Yes! Here’s how…
1
Delay, Delay, Delay!
Commit to keeping smartphones and social media out of primary school. Let’s give our kids a play-based childhood.
2
Build a Community
The central reason kids want socials is for relationships. No child wants to be socially isolated.
Build a community now with other parents who all want to delay giving smartphones and social media until at least 14.
Stick together because it takes a village to navigate our kids through this new world.
Use your own access to tech for good by helping your kids get together with others often.
3
When the Time Comes, Go Slow
When the time comes that you want your child to have a phone for safety reasons, start with a basic dumb phone or a smart watch. Kids don’t need smartphones. They need smart parents. And smart parents give their kids dumb phones.
Aim for 14 for smartphones and 16 for major social media platforms. (Ideally, you’ll push that out even further.)
Build Effective Boundaries:
- No phones in bedrooms or bathrooms.
- No phones overnight.
- Tech-free areas or times at home.
- The condition that you have their password for sporadic checking.
Proudly Sponsored by:
Proudly Sponsored by: