The Rise of NI Parents Rejecting Smartphones for Kids

Rising Concerns

Watching her daughter enjoy the simple childhood joy of playing in the park, Joanna Karlic was dismayed seconds later by what she heard another youngster say. After climbing up to the top of the slide, the child yelled down to a friend that they would not come down in case their phone came out of their pocket. Age of the Smartphone

The rapid increase in children having their own smartphone at an ever younger age has horrified Joanna, who thought the conversation around getting her daughter one wouldn't need to happen until she was closer to 14 or 15. Parental Advocacy

The movement has taken off in Northern Ireland and Joanna is now one of the regional leaders here, joining hundreds of other parents, teachers, and medical professionals all fighting to get proper legislation in place to protect children from the addictive nature of the smartphone and start conversations with other parents and schools over delaying giving children smartphones.