Our Mission
We’re a growing movement of parents choosing to delay, or forgo, smartphones and social media for our kids.
Our goal is to inspire and empower others to create smartphone-free childhoods—at home, in schools, and in their communities—by helping them connect, share ideas and resources, and find support.
Our Why
We’re tired of feeling outpowered, outpaced, and pushed aside by algorithms.
We’ve seen smartphones and screens creep into every corner of our lives, displacing real-life friendships, play, and imagination. Tech companies promised us connection, but instead left us distanced, distracted, and depleted as they monetized our attention. We face an impossible choice: go along with this new unhealthy norm or go it alone.
But we are not powerless. We can choose a different path. We can band together to reclaim childhood from screens.
What We Believe
We believe childhood (and life in general) should be lived, not scrolled.
As screens increasingly saturate our daily lives, kids and teens have become stretched thin by anxiety, isolation, poor sleep, and short attention spans—and adults are not immune. On social media and even video games, our children are at risk of cyberbullying, sextortion, and exposure to harmful content.
We believe there’s a better way—one where in-real-life connection is prioritized over screens, and our children’s wellbeing is prioritized over the profit of tech companies.
Our Core Beliefs
No smartphones before high school: Preventing premature exposure to digital devices allows for more natural cognitive and social development.
No social media before 16: Delaying social media use protects children from online pressures, cyberbullying, and mental health challenges.
Phone-free schools: Creating a learning environment free from digital distractions fosters better academic performance and interpersonal interactions.
More independence, free play, and responsibility in the real world: Encouraging real-world activities helps develop creativity, problem-solving skills, and social competence. Play is the work of childhood and we are robbing kids of the physical, emotional, social, cognitive, creative and communications skills that are needed in raising well-rounded children.
Disclaimers:
Smartphone Free Childhood international groups are independent, self-governing, and self-organizing. The views contained on this website and in the Smartphone Free Childhood US WhatsApp groups are not necessarily those of the organizers. Smartphone Free Childhood UK does not endorse any action by these independent groups.