Perhaps for a split second, Lantana resident Megan Boyden feared being labeled a mean mom when she decided to limit her son’s iPad usage last year. Truth be told, she took the privilege away entirely—especially after noticing how just a few hours of Minecraft each weekend temporarily turned their happy and polite 8-year-old into a more short-tempered version of himself.
As it turned out, countless local parents noticed the same behavioral struggles in their kiddos. Give them a smartphone, iPad or gaming computer for screen time and unfettered internet access, and they’ll be in hog heaven.
Tell them it’s time to get off YouTube and rejoin the real world—well, let the meltdowns, anger issues and emotional outbursts begin.
“I’ve seen kids in the second grade with phones and social media. By the time they reach fifth grade, almost 60% have them,” Boyden said.
She and other moms at Blanton Elementary have since been inspired by an organization called ‘Wait Until 8th’ to empower parents at Blanton and across Denton ISD to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade.
“My family has never been large device users, and I think that [weekend iPad usage] made it obvious to us because I know how mild-mannered my son is Monday through Friday,” she said. “The funny thing is, finding parents who want to take the pledge has been easy. It’s not like we have to convert anyone—they’re like, ‘Where do I sign?’ There’s so much social pressure to give your kid a phone. Let’s create social pressure in the opposite direction.”
Boyden does not work for and is not affiliated with Wait Until 8th. That said, she is one of over 99,000 parents nationwide who have said yes to waiting on smartphones and other devices for their kids. Research suggests the average age at which children get their first smartphone is 10, and they spend between three to seven hours in front of a phone or other device each day. That does not include educational time.
The result is a litany of negative consequences. This includes addictive behavior, academic distractions, sleep impairments, behavioral struggles, eating disorders, access to sexual content, anxiety and depression and relationship issues.
Wait Until 8th points out that playing outdoors, spending time with friends, reading books and hanging out with family often take a backseat to hours of gaming, snap-chatting, Instagramming and catching up on YouTube.
Their concept is simple: By signing the Wait Until 8th online pledge, parents promise not to give their child a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade. They can do this independently or share it with as many parents as possible on a grassroots level.
Once 10 families have signed the pledge in your child’s grade and school to delay smartphone access, Wait Until 8th notifies you that your cohort’s pledge is active. You will receive a list of families from your child’s grade and parent emails to connect and offer support.
Within three weeks of this group of mothers introducing the concept to fellow Blanton parents, 40% of the parents from Boyden’s son’s grade had signed up. Roughly 25% of parents representing other grade levels also signed up.
And those numbers are growing, not just at Blanton but throughout Denton ISD.
Boyden’s outreach has included opportunities to speak to school administrators and PTA members at other elementary schools throughout Denton ISD. Recently, she presented at a district-wide PTA delegate meeting.
Overall, responses have been supportive and through this initiative, she’s met many parents who felt isolated in their decision to delay smartphones for their children and were glad to find the community support of the Wait Until 8th pledge.
“There are a lot of like-minded people who aren’t giving their elementary or middle-school kids access to phones and other electronics. It’s nice to know you’re not alone and we should be supporting each other,” Boyden said. “However, I realized what I was trying to do wouldn’t be as helpful if I stopped at just Blanton Elementary. So, I began reaching out to all the schools that feed into Harpool Middle School and talking to as many people as possible. The feedback has been nothing but positive because every parent can relate.”
She added, “If parents can see the data and know they’re not alone, they can make more informed decisions.”
While the Wait Until 8th pledge encourages parents to delay smartphones, it also offers digital training, tips and resources for parents who don’t quite want to go cold turkey for personal reasons—such as wanting to ensure they can reach their child in an emergency.
“Many times, your child only needs access to a fraction of what a smartphone does—such as texting and calling,” Boyden said. “They don’t need the app store or Instagram. It’s OK to get a basic flip phone. There are also safety tips, such as ensuring you don’t allow your kids to access their phones at night in their rooms. We also plan to have a device-blocking day at Blanton, where a technology-savvy person comes out and teaches parents how to block certain apps on a child’s smartphone. Kids are creative in getting around blocks—you think you’ve blocked something but haven’t. These are just a few best practices to be aware of.”
The bottom line is that childhood is too short to be wasted on smartphones. If you’d like to learn more, contact Boyden directly at [email protected]. You can also take the Wait Until 8th pledge at waituntil8th.org.
