the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, a group of concerned parents has launched a new organization dedicated to promoting the idea of “No Smartphones Through 9th.” Their mission is simple yet powerful: to educate parents about the risks associated with smartphone use among tweens and teens. With growing evidence linking smartphones to mental health issues, this initiative aims to delay smartphone access until children are mature enough to handle the responsibilities that come with it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/nosmartphonesthrough9th
Why the Push for “No Smartphones Through 9th”?
The decision to give a child a smartphone is often irreversible. Once handed over, there’s no turning back, and parents are becoming increasingly aware of the challenges that smartphones pose for young minds. The goal of this new group is not to be anti-technology, but to promote the idea of introducing smartphones when kids are better equipped to manage them responsibly.
The Alarming Facts
Recent studies highlight the growing concerns surrounding smartphones and their impact on youth. Here are some key findings that drive the “No Smartphones Through 9th” mission:
- Mental Health Risks: The National Library of Medicine reports that smartphone and social media use is linked to increased mental distress, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts in youth. The effect is particularly significant among girls. The longer children are exposed to smartphones, the more their mental health may be impacted.
- Time Spent on Smartphones: According to a 2021 study by Common Sense Media, tweens (ages 8-12) spend an average of 4-5 hours a day on their phones. This jumps to 7-8 hours for teens. That’s nearly half of their waking hours spent on screen media!
- Social Media Dependency: A study from the Pew Research Center found that more than half of tweens and teens (53%) would find it difficult to give up social media. For kids ages 10-15, who are still navigating social interactions and puberty, the added pressure of social media can be overwhelming.
A Healthier Alternative
Instead of handing over a smartphone, the group suggests parents consider alternatives like Apple Watches or old-school flip phones to stay in touch with their kids. These devices offer communication without the constant distraction of social media, texting, and other smartphone-related pressures.
As one parent from the group stated, “Let kids be kids until they’re ready for the consequences of smartphone use.”
Make the Best Decision for Your Family
The “No Smartphones Through 9th” campaign is urging parents to review the facts and make informed decisions about when their children should have access to smartphones. It’s about empowering parents to create healthier digital boundaries for their families.
For more information and resources on the risks of early smartphone use, and to join the growing movement, visit the initiative’s website or attend an upcoming informational meeting in Ridgewood. Let’s work together to give our kids a childhood free from unnecessary digital stress.
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Are they enforcing it already themselves? Or are they waiting for big daddy to make it official because their kids don’t listen to them?
And of course they still want them to have flip phones. You don’t need to stay in touch with your kids. They’re literally minutes away. Could you be anymore pathetic and co-dependent?
Stay strong parents, do not succumb to social pressure, do not justify giving your kids a phone because it’s a hand me down. Our kids need a break from the social pressures when they get home. With smart phones there is no break from the bullying, the one-upping, the desire for affirmation from peers. Parents of girls —- this affects girls so much more than boys. Give your kids a gift —– of a less stressed childhood and more time with people in person!
“Eww, you don’t have an iPhone? Your parents must be really poor.”
that’s right… run your life based on what your neighbor’s pre-teens think.
It is impossible to handle the pressure for parents who really see this as an issue in RW. I have a 6th grader who doesn’t stop asking for a new iphone because all his friends received a brand new one over the summer as a graduation gift after elementary school (a BS in its own). All his friends parents are rich and with a stay at home mom who gives them everything they want. My son feels like an outcast and this doesn’t play well for his psychological state. We’re trying to deal with this in a measurable way but there is no way escaping the issue. The main thing that keeps kids in contact today are electronics. It is very sad, but a reality.
It is not as easy as writing an article or creating a group about this.
Remember YOU are the parent! Set rules, stick with them and help your child learn to deal with life’s disappointments. Whether you knew it or not when your child was born, this is what you signed up for….. be a parent, do what’s best for the kid, not what makes your life easier.
Nah, his kid’s “friends” should dictate all of his family’s important life decisions.
That’s right…. feed into the current trend of psychologically damaged children.
Remember… your child is weak and non-resilient.
Are we trying to get the parents that spend all day on the phone to take away the phone from their kids?
No, not take it away from them BUT don’t give them one in the first place. You can’t unring a bell.
I could not count the number of times I have been thankful that my kids grew up and moved out before any of this happened. I would have refused to buy them any and their father would have given them to them–it would have been a nightmare.
I have never owned one of those horrible things myself, either. Ugh.
This is the most monumental epidemic of addiction the entire world has ever known. It is worse than every other vice combined. At least drunks and others addicts eventually pass out or rest – these people can’t put their phones down. Even when they go to sleep they’re waking up during the night and checking their phones. How very pathetic – I can assure you no one’s going to be lying on their death bed wishing they had spent MORE time on their phones. Everywhere you go people have them in their hands. I love watching the dog walkers – while the poor animal stands there waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for them to put the phone down. What a disagree they can’t even leave the house without them. There’s been an enormous increase in child drownings this year and I can’t help but wonder how many were caused by cell phones? My point? LEAD BY EXAMPLE – get rid of the phones. They serve no purpose whatsoever as proven by generations that came before and ALL managed to SURVIVE. I don’t own a TV or a cellphone. I can think of no greater waste of time and/or brain cells. My neighbor moved back to Austria – no cell phones before leaving or after – her 3 children are outside playing all day.
This is the most monumental epidemic of WEAK PARENTING the entire world has ever known.
I love my Motorola flip phone, that thing was so reliable. I used to receive no bullshit 12,000 phone calls a year and make 10,000 out. Never had a problem but unfortunately today 90% of us need the iPhone to handle day-to-day business is it a great tool, yes it is. Are we all addicted to it? We are.
Chuck Schumer ?
It is very hard as a parent to hold true to your own values when your kids are the ones facing the day-to-day peer pressure. Agree that kids without smart phones by middle school will be made fun of or left out or accused of being ‘poor’, this is a very real thing. We faced this years ago at elementary school when it was a common practice to order lunch to be delivered to the school for your elementary school kids. There were deliveries of West Side Bagels, Parkwood etc all arriving at school at lunchtime which created chaos for the admins trying to figure out who gets what lunch. Needless to say, I put my foot down at home and told my child that she gets a bag lunch daily and isn’t going to get the restaurant lunch. Well when I tell you what her friends said to her, even another mother implying to me that we couldn’t afford a take out lunch, it was shocking to me. The more I tried to explain that I didn’t want to feed into the chaos of the takeout delivery for kids under 12 years old, the worse the pressure got. The attitude from my fellow moms that I somehow was denying my child what other kids were getting strengthened my resolve to stick with the bagged lunch. Lo and behold, my child acted out in a way not expected due to the soft bullying from other kids that she was poor. It was an experience that was awful, but at the end of the day I learned something. Kids at a young age are not strong enough to uphold those values with pride the same way an adult would. Perhaps a middle ground of allowing the restaurant lunch 1x week would have been a nice compromise. With regard to cell phones, allowing a smart phone with clear rules and standards set by the parents might be the way to go. Including the rule that the phone isn’t in the bedroom at night, is turned off at homework time, etc. Best of luck to parents with younger kids because all of these issues are no joke, they really do impact your kids ability to make and keep friends when they are young. I wish it wasn’t a big thing but it really is. Just my experienced parent 2 cents.
PLEASE.
“It is very hard as a parent to hold true to your own values when your kids are the ones facing the day-to-day peer pressure.”
Being a (happy, successful) adult is often hard, but comes with very satisfying rewards. Get over it.
Teach your children to be strong and proud of whatever they do. You’d be surprised how a strong child can become a leader and turn this around.
It is not the phone nor the takeout lunch. It is the independence and self-esteem that you instill from your child from birth.
That’s actually what being a parent is all about… not “trying to navigate cell phone peer pressure”.
But that is way too hard for parents who were likely raised to not be independent leaders and problem solvers themselves.
Even though I agree with many of the points you made above, your message is very negative and leads me to think that you believe all parents are terrible at it and don’t deserve to be parents.
Some parents are good at giving their kids what they need to be confident (it appears that you are this way) and some are bad at it, that will never change.
So, why don’t we allow some space for parents who need to feel more confident about not giving into social pressure, to organize themselves. It’s doesn’t hurt a thing to organize to try and change society. We may end up doing some collective good.
If we throw up our hands at every instance of anything less than A+ parenting and say “parents should be better”, that won’t change a thing.
We will aspire to your A+ parenting and in the mean time, organize ourselves to bring on constructive, meaningful change in our society.