Bringing Back a Smartphone-Free Childhood
There was a time, not so long ago, when kids built forts, climbed trees, and rode bikes until dark. These outdoor adventures have not vanished. They are just waiting to be rediscovered beyond glowing screens.
While technology offers many benefits, the trend of children having smartphones may change how they develop, play, and connect. According to TIME, much of the technology that kids are using is designed to be addictive. However, parents including Holly Moscatiello, founder of the nonprofit The Balance Project, are helping children unplug. She’s leading a counter-movement to get kids off screens and back into real life.
“We want to make it just as easy to experience life in our community as it is to go on your phone,” she explained to TIME. The group is organizing community initiatives that make outdoor play exciting again — including a bike-buddy program so children can cycle to school together, and Balance Boxes, kits filled with small toys, Rubik’s cubes, and clay designed for screen-free fun at restaurants. This is a simple reminder that independence and connection can flourish when children look up from their devices.
The concern extends beyond lost playtime. Excessive smartphone use is also linked to anxiety, attention problems, and sleep disruption, according to the UK-based organization Smartphone Free Childhood. The organization, which was founded in 2024 and includes more than 350,000 parents, has the goal of delaying smartphone and social media access.
Striving for Solidarity
Smartphone Free Childhood emphasizes that smartphones were not designed with kids in mind and have reshaped childhood nearly overnight. In fact, 89 percent of 12-year-old British kids own a smartphone and the average age of receiving one’s first phone is nine. To counter this storm, the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign launched a parent pact in Oxfordshire, where parents of around 4,000 children pledged not to give their kids smartphones until at least the end of Year Nine (8th grade), BBC reports.
The goal of this group is solidarity — when everyone waits, no child feels left out. In one school in Oxfordshire, students lock their phones away during the day, and teachers report calmer classrooms. “People used to get sad and angry because of something on their phone. But now their presence of mind is in school and they can study better,” a student at a smartphone-free school told the BBC.
Community-based initiatives like The Balance Project and Smartphone Free Childhood prove that parents do not have to face this issue alone. By working together, they are creating a cultural shift where outdoor play, face-to-face friendships, and presence are valued again.
Finding a Healthier Lifestyle
The groups are creating a healthier balance. In order for children to not stay online all day, they need vibrant real-world alternatives. And this means safer crosswalks, longer recesses, and more time outside for unstructured play, according to TIME.
A childhood without smartphones is not about going backwards; it reconnects children to the magic of this early time in their lives, explains Smartphone Free Childhood. Children experience fun riding their bikes, feel a thrill playing a game on the spot, and learn about quiet focus when creating something with their hands. These are all smartphone-free experiences that nurture creativity, confidence, and connection.
By joining together, parents and communities are making it easier for the next generation to grow up grounded in real life rather than filtered through a screen. Giving children back their time, freedom, and face-to-face friends is one of the best investments a parent can make towards a brighter future.
