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Suffolk, England – For parents Daisy Greenwell and Joe Riory, Freedom means looking at the world around them instead of their phones, and they are determined to pass that sense of their digital freedom on to their children.
Their daughter started asking for a smartphone when she was just eight years old, because her classmates were getting them. The pressure of having a phone at such a young age was surprising, it prompted him to face this issue more.
He found a growing body of research that suggests heavy smartphone use can negatively affect young people’s health.
The more he continued to read, the more worried he became, so GreenLell decided to take action. He posted a question on Instagram: What if we could change the norm? What if parents came together to create a “smartphone-free childhood?”
The answer was quick.
“That post went viral,” he told CBS News. “Thousands of parents joined the party throughout the night.”
CBS News
Within weeks, GreenLell said groups of children without smartphones in every town in England. One year later, the Grassroots campaign has expanded far beyond the borders of the UK.
The group – Smartphone Free Childred – Now has a presence in 39 countries.
In GreenLWell, Riory and the thousands of families that have joined this organization, the goal is simple: more time, and the child lived offline as much as possible.
In the US, the movement even inspired a warning viral ad, highlighting the dangers of giving children restricted access to the Internet. A parent in the nest tells their child: “There’s a box in the corner that has every sex thing ever made. I trust you not to look in there, okay?”
The backlash against youth use of social media has drawn the attention of governments around the world. On Wednesday, Australia became the first country in the world to implement a social media ban for children under the age of 16. The law forces big tech companies like Meta and Tiktok to enforce age restrictions, or face age penalties.
In the UK, National Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said the Government would be keeping a “close eye” on the social media ban on communication with Australians, but added that there were no current plans to retaliate the law.
However, at the level of pollution, parents who join the movement of GreenLell and Riory are asked to sign an agreement: No smartphones for children before they turn 14, and no social media before 16.
“This is not an anti-tech movement, a childhood movement. We are not saying that no smartphone has ever needed unrestricted Internet access in their pockets 24/7,” Riory told CBS News.
When asked what he would tell busy parents on the phone to make it easier, GreenLell accepted the challenge.
“It’s really hard,” she said. “But delaying the smartphone is free, easy, and gives your child the best chance to thrive.”
Many families are turning to basic “Bract Phones” as alternatives – devices that allow calls and texts, but limit access to the Internet. Sales of such “dumb” devices have increased 150% among 18-24 year olds in the United States, according to a peer-reviewed peer-reviewed study.
Despite the momentum, GreenLell says there is still a culture of disruption, and the data available highlights that point. One in four British children between the ages of 5 and 7 already owns a smartphone, according to the UK’s independent media regulator.
GreenLell said he believes real change can be driven at the community level.
“If children know many of their classmates are using smartphones, peer pressure is reduced,” he told CBB news. “It becomes easier for families to wait a few years. A brick fence is not difficult at that time. We can do this.”
