3rd November 2024
In October, over 100 people, including a number of teachers and head teachers from local schools, attended the Smartphone Free Childhood meeting in Thame.
An excellent presentation and talk was given by Will Orr-Ewing who is the lead for the Oxfordshire Smartphone Free Group and also the lead for schools engagement for the national Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) campaign. Will's presentation was recorded and is available to view. Mayor Andy Gilbert attended and provided some valuable reflections at the end of the meeting.
As the meeting ended, it was clear that there was a strong appetite to take action. Many wanted to sign the SFC Parent Pact; an agreement to withhold smartphones until age 14 and social media until age 16.
Councillor Paul Swan said, 'With this mandate from the meeting, we want to drive awareness of this simple agreement so that others can sign it too. We will be aiming to support and work with other parents interested in taking this agenda forward in other local schools and to work constructively with teachers and head teachers on this issue. Helpfully, the national Smartphone Free Schools campaign has useful resources for schools.'
