Greystones' voluntary smartphone pact for children: no screens until secondary school

In the Irish town of Greystones, a community-led agreement is tackling the question of when to give a child a smartphone. Parents and a local primary school have voluntarily committed to delaying smartphones until secondary school age, an initiative known as "It Takes A Village." The programme is led by the school principal, who has spoken about its impact, alongside a local parent. The approach, featured this week on BBC Tech Life, comes as concerns grow over screen time's effects on younger children. Also in the episode: a woman describes how surviving a late-night attack inspired her to develop a wearable safety device, and an AI was let loose to run a cafe in Sweden – with results now revealed. The Greystones model, though voluntary, offers a potential blueprint for communities wrestling with technology's growing role in childhood.