The idea of getting her eldest child a smartphone had long felt inevitable, said Daisy Greenwell. When she talked to other parents, “everyone universally said, ‘Yes, it’s a nightmare, but you’ve got no choice,’” recalled Ms. Greenwell, 41. Then Ms. Greenwell, who lives in rural Suffolk, in the east of England, posted her thoughts on Instagram. “What if we could hold off until they’re 14, or 16?” She added a link to the WhatsApp group. Today, more than 124,000 parents of children in more than 13,000 British schools have signed a pact created by Smartphone Free Childhood, the charity set up by Ms. Greenwell, her husband, Joe Ryrie, and Ms. Fernyhough.

Source: The Times April 01, 2025 13:03 UTC