The founders of the Westport chapter of OK to Delay are on a mission to help our community delay smartphone use until age 14. Here, they explain why.
On September 17th, we launched the Westport chapter of OK to Delay. OK to Delay is a grassroots movement started in nearby Greenwich. Our mission is to unite parents who share a growing concern about the effects of early and excessive use of social media and smartphones. We are dedicated to building a community of informed and empowered parents who are committed to reversing the devastating trends we are seeing with youth mental health.
So what are we advocating for? We are talking about the iPhone (or similar phone) that adults are glued to all day long. These phones largely have unfettered access to the Internet, apps, games, and social media. We believe in protecting the middle school years from smartphones, and recommend waiting to give social media until 16. This conclusion draws on recommendations from the U.S. Surgeon General, research from American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt and the 2023 Sapien Labs study which shows that the later a person receives a smartphone, the better their mental health and happiness level is as an adult. Instead of a smartphone, we have a list of “simple phones” and watches that we recommend for middle school aged kids who need to be able to reach their parents as they gain independence.
At OK to Delay, we believe change starts right here in our community. This isn’t a movement we can take on alone, but thankfully, these ideas are starting to gain traction and the world is beginning to wake up. We have seen so much support and enthusiasm in Westport already. Our Westport Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice has communicated several times with parents that he is in favor of banning phones in schools. There are other local efforts, too— like the Wait Until 8th pledges that parents have signed, promising not to give their children smartphones until at least eighth grade— that are complimenting our own. And Westport is not alone. In fact, we are in good company in Weston, Wilton, New Canaan and other neighboring towns that have already banned cell phones in schools.
For families who have already given their children access to a smartphone or social media, we understand the complexity. We believe that setting limits can make a huge difference for children and teens. Some recommendations include taking the phone away one hour before bedtime and not allowing devices in the bedroom, time limits for phone use, and restricting phone use during playdates and carpools. We also recommend using an Internet monitoring system like Bark to implement parental controls on all internet connected devices.
Above all, this is a community-wide effort. Our schools and families must work together to combat this mental health crisis and create environments that promote engagement, curiosity, and connection for our kids. It takes one group to start a movement, but we hope that a sea change follows.
We’d love for you to get involved, whether it’s by attending one of our events, through our elementary school liaisons, or becoming a representative. To learn more please visit oktodelay.org or email us at oktodelaywestport@gmail.com
Our schools and families must work together to combat this mental health crisis and create environments that promote engagement, curiosity, and connection.