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Candice Openshaw is pushing the national Smartphone Free Childhood campaign in Dorset, which encourages parents to hold off buying children smartphones until at least the end of year nine. “Exposing children to things their brains aren’t yet developed enough to deal with can cause a whole host of problems, from triggering anxiety and eating disorders, to opening the door to cyberbullying or sexual predators research shows,” said Candice. Although her children are aged four and eight, Candice said if she does not take action now, she will “walk into the eye of the storm”.
Smartphone Free Childhood was launched by two mothers in February and Candice said “it has gone absolutely bananas”. Parents across the country have been signing a pact to not give their children smartphones and pushing their schools to change its rules. “It’s all about strength in numbers, if your child knows that other kids in their class won’t be getting a smartphone for a few years either, the peer pressure instantly dissolves,” said Candice.
She said that parents of over 1,000 children in Dorset have signed the pact, with a national total of 77,705. Candice said she is not “anti-phones” but believes they are “every distraction possible in a child’s pocket”. “There’s plenty of time to be addicted to your phone, I just don’t think it’s in your childhood.
” Instead, the campaign urges parents to consider ‘dumb phones’ which only allows calls and texts, with no internet access. Parents can join their community WhatsApp group on , and the parent pact on Also in response to growing concerns, the Labour Women’s Group is hosting an informative event on Saturday, November 30 at St Joseph’s Centre in Purewell. Local teacher Nancy Nichols, chair of Christchurch Women’s Labour Group said they are not claiming to be experts or make people feel guilty for giving their child a smartphone but instead showing support to parents.
“We know there are no easy answers, but this event aims to encourage open conversations around the growing issue of children's smartphone use and hopefully equip parents with the tools they need to protect their children from potential negative effects. “It’s a chance for the community to come together and learn more about how we can collectively address this issue.” The event begins at 11am and bookings can be made via .
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