In the coastal town of Greystones, Ireland, parents have reached a voluntary agreement not to give their children smartphones until they reach secondary school age. The initiative, called 'It Takes A Village', is led by a school principal and involves a local parent. The arrangement aims to address the impact of screen time on younger children, a topic explored in the BBC's Tech Life programme broadcast on 7 July 2026.
The idea of delaying smartphones has gained attention as communities grapple with the effects of early exposure to screens. The Greystones model offers a collective approach, with families pledging to wait until their children are older before handing them a device.
“Parents in Greystones, Ireland, agree to wait until secondary school for children to get smartphones.”
Elsewhere in the same programme, a woman who survived a late-night attack told presenter Shiona McCallum how the experience inspired her to develop a wearable safety device. In a separate experiment, artificial intelligence was let loose to run a cafe in Sweden, with programme makers observing the outcome.
The full episode, which also features the Greystones story, is available to listen to for over a year on BBC Sounds.