The Wait Until 8th pledge is spreading like wildfire in the community of Fairfield, Connecticut! Over the past few weeks, more than 200 families have said yes to delaying the smartphone for their children!
How does the pledge gain momentum in a community? It usually starts with one parent championing the pledge and encouraging other parents to delay the smartphone together. In Fairfield, Keri Langerman is spreading the word to parents in her community. The Fairfield school district has 11 elementary schools and 3 middle schools.
Keri shares, “for me it was a slow build to get our community on board. I started with a handful of parents I knew personally. We had open discussions about our concerns with social media and giving our kids devices with unlimited access to the internet. We noticed that many of our friends who had older kids regretted giving their kids smartphones. When the surgeon general issued his warning and the meta lawsuits started ramping up it became so clear that we as the adult community needed to step up to protect our kids.”
“Through word of mouth, I found more parents outside of our school whose children attended four of the other elementary schools in our district. I invited everyone to come together for an in-person meeting. Our small group went around the room introducing ourselves, the ages of children and shared one reason why we came to the meeting. Our group had kids ranging from kindergarten to 6th grade. Some felt strongly about not giving their kids phones, some were on the fence and one mom had given her kid a phone and regretted her decision. I made sure to let everyone know this was a forum for discussion and support, not judgement.”
“After the meeting some time passed, every now and then our group would email each other ideas about how to get the WU8th pledge started. Then Gov. Lamont (CT) issued a statement about limiting the use of smartphones in school. At that point I had had it! I just went online and signed the WU8th pledge and blasted it out. Actions speak louder than emails!”
“I think our community was waiting for some people to go first. Once a few families signed on, it was easier for others to join. I think people felt empowered to be doing this in a community setting.”
We are so thankful for Keri’s leadership and the community of Fairfield! Do you want to rally more parents to delay the smartphone? Check out more on how Keri spread the word with her tips and email she sent below Also, Wait Until 8th has lots of resources to help get the word out.
You’ve got this parents!
Cheers,
Brooke
Email keri sent to friends about the pledge
Hi [insert school name] Moms,
Hope you’re enjoying the day!
I wanted to reach out about a town-wide initiative I am working on with a group of elementary parents in Fairfield who want to delay giving their kids smartphones until at least 8th grade.
I just signed this pledge to delay giving my kids smartphones - once 10 families in your child’s grade sign the pledge, it becomes activated online.
There's a growing population of parents who are worried about the effects of early exposure to social media, internet access, and smartphone addiction for our kids' mental health. WU8th supports the use of basic phones or watches that solely provide texting capabilities.
We chose Wait Until 8th because it’s a nationally recognized organization with a lot of flexibility for each local chapter to customize their approach. This is a parent-led initiative but I have also the school asking for their support. My colleague has also emailed the superintendent and BOE.
Many kids in Fairfield receive their first smartphone upon graduating 5th grade, in some cases earlier. We want to start the conversation at the lower elementary school level so when the time comes for parents to decide whether or not to purchase their child a smartphone, they have as much information as possible to make the decision that’s right for their family. We’re not casting judgement on parents who choose to give their kids smartphones, we simply want to provide a supportive community for those who choose to wait until their kids are older.
If you're into it, join me, sign the pledge and forward this email on to other parents! If you're not interested, no worries at all, I totally understand. I am working with parents at some other schools in our community and we're hoping to eventually offer this community pledge to all local elementary schools in Fairfield.
If you have any questions let me know.
Recent Articles:
Gov. Ned Lamont recently issued a statement, citing that his office will be sending out guidance to school boards on smartphone usage
US Surgeon General Social Media Advisory
Sincerely,
Keri
Good to know when Championing the pledge
Any parent can start or join the pledge at any time. All you have to do is sign the online pledge, and Wait Until 8th will automatically log your signature by school and grade. If you have kids in different grades, you can notate each child on the pledge form. Signing the pledge works smoother on a computer or laptop instead of a phone.
After signing the pledge, in 1 to 2 business days, Wait Until 8th will email you tips on how to rally other parents in your school. You can start by emailing the parents you know at your school to let them know you took the pledge and encourage them to join you.
Try to get your school or PTA involved! It helps to have community support. Don’t be discouraged though if the school or PTA does not want to spearhead campaign. There are many communities where the pledge is thriving without school leadership or PTA support.
Follow up! Ask the parents you emailed if they have had time to review the Wait Until 8th pledge. If they are on board, ask them to email parents they know about the pledge. Ask for something specific like, “will you be able to sign the pledge by the end of the week?”
Remember emails can easily get lost. Try following up with text if you have not heard back.
Once a grade at your school has 10 or more pledges, the pledge is active! Wait Until 8th will send a group email to the families who have signed notifying the group of who is on board. This will help you support one another on waiting. We are delaying the smartphone in our family and so is . . .
You will be updated weekly if more families join an active pledge.
Please consider delaying the smartphone for your child with the Wait Until 8th pledge and delaying social media until 16+. There are so many reasons to wait. Currently the average age a child receives a smartphone is 10 years old despite the many distractions and dangers that comes with this technology. Join more than 50,000 parents by signing the pledge today.
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