In the Irish town of Greystones, a quiet revolution is under way. Parents have signed a voluntary agreement not to give their children a smartphone until they reach secondary school age. The initiative, called “It Takes A Village”, is led by the local school principal, who believes the collective approach eases the pressure on individual families. One parent involved in the scheme spoke about the decision on the BBC’s Tech Life programme, which explores the impact of screen time on younger children.
The Greystones model is a stark contrast to the tech-saturated lives many children lead. But the conversation about technology’s darker side doesn’t stop at smartphones. On the same episode, presenter Shiona McCallum heard from a woman who survived a late-night attack and was inspired to create a wearable safety device. And in Sweden, an experiment let artificial intelligence loose to run a cafe – with unpredictable consequences.
“Irish town Greystones has voluntary agreement to delay smartphones until secondary school, led by principal.”
The programme, produced by Tom Quinn and available on the BBC World Service, offers a glimpse into how communities and individuals are grappling with the digital age. Whether the Greystones pledge will be adopted elsewhere remains to be seen, but it has already sparked debate about the right age for a child’s first smartphone.