‘Childhood is worth fighting for’: Thousands of NI parents commit to smartphone delay

Parents of around 3,000 children across Northern Ireland have joined forces to delay giving their children smartphones until at least the end of Year 10, amid growing concerns about the impact of early smartphone use on mental health, wellbeing and childhood development.

The families are among a rapidly growing number signing up to the Smartphone Free Childhood Parent Pact, a digital tool launched by the grassroots movement Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC), which now counts around 350,000 parents across the UK.

The Parent Pact enables parents to take collective action by agreeing not to give their child a smartphone before the age of 14.

Crucially, it allows families to see how many others in their child’s school, year group and local area have made the same commitment — helping to counter the intense peer pressure many parents say makes it difficult to act alone.

Recent polling highlights the scale of parental concern. According to the data cited by Smartphone Free Childhood, 94% of primary school parents believe smartphones are harmful, yet ownership is becoming increasingly common at ever younger ages.

Around one in five UK children aged three or four already own a smartphone, rising to a quarter of five- to seven-year-olds, while by age 12, just 11% of children remain smartphone-free.

Campaigners argue this illustrates a powerful “network effect”, where parents feel compelled to provide smartphones simply to prevent their children from being socially isolated.

The Parent Pact aims to break that cycle by creating a visible, localised show of solidarity. Once signed, parents can also connect with one another through regional and school-based WhatsApp groups, building community support and shared resolve.

As well as helping families on a personal level, organisers say the growing body of Parent Pact data is being used to demonstrate to school leaders, local councils, MLAs and MPs just how many parents want stronger protections for children — adding weight to calls for further policy and regulatory change.

The momentum behind the initiative has been striking. In the first 10 days after its launch last year, 30,000 parents across the UK signed the Pact, underlining widespread appetite for a cultural shift around the age at which children receive smartphones. There are now 158,000 children and counting signed up.

Supporters point to a growing body of research suggesting early smartphone ownership may have lasting consequences. The first generation of children to grow up with smartphones are now adults, and studies indicate that the younger someone was when they received their first smartphone, the poorer their mental health tends to be in adulthood.

Since the launch of the first smartphone in 2010, the average daily time teenagers spend with friends has fallen by 65%, while 12-year-olds in the UK now spend around 29 hours a week on their smartphones — equivalent to a part-time job — leaving less time for face-to-face interaction, physical activity and offline hobbies.

Rosalind McClean, Regional Co-Leader of Smartphone Free Childhood Northern Ireland, said parents increasingly feel they are being left to manage the risks alone.

She said:

“Despite years of online safety efforts, the digital world remains far from safe for children. The UK’s Online Safety Act has taken years to arrive, yet parents still see little improvement in their children’s digital lives.

Parents involved in leading the Smartphone Free Childhood movement in Northern Ireland [L-R: Dr Peter Cosgrove, Charlotte Carson, Rosalind McClean and Joanna Kalic)

“Until a safer internet becomes reality, many parents feel the only reliable option is to delay giving children smartphones — but no one wants to stand alone. That’s why collective action matters. Our Parent Pact empowers families to take that step together.

“If your child knows that ten other kids in their class will be getting a simple brick phone instead, they’re happy to wait — and the peer pressure instantly dissolves.

“It’s incredible to see thousands of passionate parents across Northern Ireland coming together to sign the Parent Pact.

“We believe childhood is worth fighting for — and that it’s too short to be spent scrolling.”

The movement has already demonstrated its influence at school level. In May 2024, 20 out of 24 primary schools in St Albans announced they were going smartphone-free, followed a month later by 18 of 20 state secondaries in Southwark. Similar pressure from parents has since led thousands of schools nationwide to strengthen their policies.

In Northern Ireland, Smartphone Free Childhood parents worked with the Minister for Education and the Department of Education in September to introduce new guidance removing smartphones from the school day.

Founded in February 2024 after a WhatsApp group created by two mothers went viral, Smartphone Free Childhood has grown rapidly into a nationwide — and increasingly global — movement. Groups have now formed in 35 countries, from Brazil and Kenya to the USA and the UAE, reflecting shared international concerns about children’s digital lives.

The organisation is now in the process of setting itself up as an official charity, with the stated aim of permanently shifting the cultural norm around when children receive smartphones.

Parents seeking more information can visit:

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Those wishing to sign the Parent Pact can do so in around 30 seconds at:

Parent Pact