In the coastal town of Greystones, County Wicklow, parents have agreed to hold off on giving children smartphones until they reach secondary school — a voluntary pact that is drawing attention as a possible model for others. The initiative, called "It Takes A Village", is led by the local school principal and has been supported by parents across the community. One local parent spoke about the challenge and the collective decision to wait.
The Greystones agreement was featured on a World Service programme presented by Shiona McCallum and produced by Tom Quinn. On the same programme, a woman who survived a late-night attack told McCallum how the experience inspired her to develop a wearable safety device. In a separate segment, researchers in Sweden let AI loose to run a cafe, with the results now available.
“Irish community's voluntary pact delays smartphones until secondary school”
The voluntary pact in Greystones offers one community's answer to the question many parents are asking: what is the right age for a child's first smartphone?