If only there were a way to completely prohibit smartphones...
Well, in a small seaside town in Ireland, they've accomplished just that, and it has had a substantial positive impact on mental health.
From The Sun UK:
The entire parent population of Greystones in County Wicklow got together to agree not to buy smartphones for their kids until they were in secondary school.
All eight primary schools in the town, 15 miles south of Dublin, had already stopped pupils from bringing the electronic devices into the learning environment.
But the school parent associations then went further by initiating a voluntary ban among themselves.
It is a revolutionary approach which would likely be welcomed by parents in Britain as well.
A survey by Vodafone this week revealed that choosing when to give a child their first mobile phone was as tough for some parents as selecting the right school to send their children to.
And, in July, the United Nation’s education, science and culture agency Unesco called for phones to be banned from classrooms across the world.
When The Sun visited Greystones, the locals were grateful for the chance to free youngsters from the pressure to be permanently connected to social media.
Anja Schubert, who has lived in Greystones for 25 years, says: “I signed up.
“It gives me another three years for my daughter not to have a smartphone.
“I suppose the majority of people would feel under pressure to buy a phone for their child because their peers have it.
“So the more kids that don’t have one, the easier it is for us.”
More than 70 per cent of the parents in Anja’s daughter’s class signed up to the agreement not to buy a smartphone for their kids.
Honestly, there need to be more significant movements like this in communities around the world.
Smartphones, while they do serve some purpose, are often toxic for young kids.
They become consumed by this small pocket-sized piece of technology that draws them in and provides instant gratification, as well as presenting a real opportunity for them to become involved in something seriously dangerous.
