Smartphone Free Childhood is a grassroots movement of parents who believe childhood is too short to be spent on a smartphone. A group of local Henfield parents have been working together, with St. Peter’s CE Primary School, to deliver a series of workshops to bring parents and others in the community together, to start new and positive conversations about the problems of smartphones and social media in childhood.
Over 200,000 parents in the UK are reducing the impact of smartphones and social media on children through the Smartphone Free Childhood movement. Parents of nearly 100,000 children across 11,317 schools have already committed to delaying giving their child a smartphone until they are at least 14, including 2,882 children across 227 schools in West Sussex. This makes West Sussex the 9th highest region in England for parental commitment and concern on this issue. Three weeks ago Barnet became the first London borough to go smartphone free across all schools in the borough. The movement is gaining momentum in West Sussex and having a positive impact already at St Peter’s and other local schools across the Chanctonbury area.
If you would like to know more, please visit www.smartphonefreechildhood.co.uk
If you or your organisation would like to get involved and support this campaign locally, please contact smartphonefreechanctonbury@outlook.com
Julia Cassidy and Vicky Allen