Stamford parents urged to limit their children’s smartphone use by signing Cyberwise pledge

Parents are being encouraged to sign a pledge to limit their children’s use of smartphones.

The Cyberwise campaign is promoted by educators from The Conversation Stamford with the aim of protecting young people’s emotional wellbeing.

The pledge asks parents to commit to three things - no smartphones for primary aged children, no social media for under 13s and the use of parental controls until the age of 16.

Directors Gemma Holbird and Sarah Jane Sauntson follow these rules in their own homes and hope other parents will follow suit.

Among their concerns are that smartphones reduce attention span, academic performance and the quality and quantity of sleep, expose children to harmful content and discourage interaction with other people.

Sarah Jane said: “As parents we are really aware of the tidal wave of phone use in children and I feel that people have just accepted it. It’s shocking to see children asking for their own phone at such a young age.

“I think people realise that it’s not great but they feel powerless to do anything about it.

“Even when we run secondary school workshops on issues like harassment and body image, the students all recognise that the root cause of these problems is social media.”

Parents can sign the pledge on The Conversation Stamford’s website and also sign up to become a parent ambassador to help promote the message.

The campaign has been supported by all of Stamford’s primary schools, Casterton College, Stamford Welland Academy and Stamford School.

Parent and school surveys carried out earlier this year found that 58% of pupils between Year 2 and 6 had their own phone. Out of all the children who had accessed a smartphone in primary school, 63% had done so by the end of Year 4 (age nine).

Headteacher of St Augustine’s Primary School, Tina Cox, said: “We see the effects of smartphone use for primary aged children first hand, which at times has led to some significant safety risks through the use of apps such as Whatsapp and Snapchat.

“Online interactions that happen at home can easily spill into school and affect learning time, as well as the wellbeing and long-term mental health of young people.

“We are committed to supporting the Stamford Cyberwise campaign led by The Conversation Stamford and in particular recognise the value of their support and advice for parents on their children owning and using smartphones.”

Gemma and Sarah Jane are currently running smartphone workshops for Year 7 and 8 pupils. Next year their pledge will be followed up with parent webinars and workshops to discuss concerns and explore ways to limit smartphone use.

Gemma said: “Lots of people say that children need a phone, but it doesn’t have to be a smartphone.”

In the spirit of promoting this idea, Gemma has taken on a month-long challenge and swapped her smartphone for a ‘dumb phone’ which is limited to calls and text messages.

She said: “I’m quite enjoying it although there has been some challenges because the whole world is set up for smartphone use.

“I’ve noticed that I feel calmer and I’m not at the beck and call of people all the time.”

Fifty parents have signed the pledge so far at www.theconversationstamford.co.uk

Sarah Jane said: “Our hope is that as more people join, parents will realise that they are not alone and that we can reverse the trend.”

What do you think? Would you sign the pledge and do you think it should be expanded to more of the county? Share your views in the comments below.