Town bans kids’ cellphones – Residents learn a lot in 3 months.

Entire Town Bans Cellphones for Kids‍ – After Three Months,⁣ Residents Have Learned Plenty

Three months after parents in the Irish town of⁣ Greystones adopted a voluntary smartphone ban for their children,⁤ they are united in praising the positive effects it has ​had.

Earlier this year, ‍parents’‍ associations from all eight primary schools in Greystones agreed to establish a voluntary “no-smartphone code” for children until they’re ⁤in secondary school, The Guardian ⁤ reported.

The ​Greystones school system had already barred pupils from using​ smart⁣ devices ‌in the classroom, but the parents’ associations decided this wasn’t enough.

The entire parent population committed to the⁢ ban, hoping to ​see an improvement in⁣ their⁤ children’s mental health.

Now, after having stuck with⁢ it ​for three months, many parents have expressed their satisfaction with the results.

“It gives ​me another three‍ years for my daughter not ⁣to have a smartphone,” Anja Schubert, a Greystones resident of 25 years, told The Sun.

“I suppose the​ majority of people would feel under‌ pressure to buy a⁣ phone for their child because their⁣ peers have it,” she said. “So the more kids that don’t have ‌one, the‌ easier it is for us.”

Caroline Nolan,⁤ who has two boys in⁤ infants⁣ school, ‌also⁢ discussed the ban: “As⁤ a family, we’ve ­spoken openly about how they wouldn’t have phones until the‌ end ⁤of sixth class going into first year. And ‌that’s something that⁣ we‍ are ⁢quite strict ⁤about.”

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“But I ​think ⁢collectively in the community, with everyone doing it, it takes the pressure off,” she added.

The push to ⁣ban smartphones in Greystones came after ​two young girls in the area⁤ committed suicide ⁣ as the result ‌of​ bullying.

“It’s⁣ terrifying because ‍it’s ⁣something that happens between‍ the social world and⁣ your⁣ kid — ⁢something that you really have​ no part⁣ in, because they don’t want you to see ​it,” Johnny Hayden,⁤ a dad of three girls, told The Sun. “It’s⁢ something​ that scares ⁣you, really.”

Cyberbullying was also a⁢ major concern of Waterford County, which quickly followed Greystones’ example and asked ​all parents not to​ give their children access to smartphones.

“More and more, we are seeing⁣ young children ‌experiencing issues around anxiety,” St. Ursula’s Ursuline‍ primary school Principal Triona Daly said, according to the Irish Examiner.

“I have‌ seen first-hand that many of‍ these issues are due to the influence of social media,” Daly said. “Over ​the last few years, primary school children are presenting with issues that were‍ previously⁤ deemed to be more ‘teenage​ issues.’ Self-harming and cyberbullying are just some of the‌ problematic issues we’re‍ dealing⁤ with on a⁣ regular basis.”

An initiative ​to ‍protect children from these​ harms was recently launched in the U.S. by HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover” hosts Ben and Erin Napier, who seek to keep elementary school-aged children off⁣ of smartphones and social media.

Their ‍non-profit group, known as‍ “Osprey”​ [Old School Parents Raising Engaged Youth], aims to unite parents in the goal to live “social lives​ without social media.”

Data collected by Pew Research ‌Center ‍suggested ​that the large majority of parents agree that children under 12 years ‌shouldn’t possess a smartphone.

However, far fewer​ have⁤ actually implemented rules limiting smartphone usage, and most​ respondents with children under 12 expressed concern ‌that​ their child spends‌ too much time in front of screens.

The post Entire‌ Town Bans Cellphones for Kids – ​After⁤ Three Months, Residents​ Have Learned Plenty appeared first on The Western Journal.