Frequently Asked Questions
When do most kids get smartphones?
The average age a child gets a smartphone is 10 years old. The smartphone pressure starts to ramp up in 4th grade.
When should I give my child a smartphone?
We recommend delaying the smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade.
When do most kids start using social media?
The majority of children are using social media by the age of 12, and 40% of tweens between the ages of 8 and 12 use social media.
When should I allow my children to start using social media?
Wait Until 8th recommends delaying social media until at least 16. Driving before socializing online! Trusted resources like Common Sense Media and Protect Young Eyes have the following age recommendations for the most popular social media apps:
Snapchat: 16+
Instagram: 15+ (Common Sense Media) 16+ (Protect Young Eyes)
TikTok: 15+ (Common Sense Media) 16+ (Protect Young Eyes)
WHy WAIT UNTIL AT LEASt the end of 8TH GRADE for a smartphone?
Many experts from child psychologists to internet safety leaders to even technology executives agree that it is best to wait until at least 14 before exposing children to smartphones. Wait Until 8th believes the end of 8th grade is a good line in the sand to rally your community around delaying the smartphone. This helps protect the elementary and middle school years. Children are receiving smartphones now as early as first and second grade with a majority of kids having a personal device by 4th grade. It is very challenging to get group momentum around the concept of delaying the smartphone until 16 or 18. Delaying the smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade is feasible and gives kids four more years free of the distractions and dangers that come with the smartphone. And you can wait longer if you want to!
Does this mean I will allow my child to have a smartphone at the end of 8th grade?
No! By signing the pledge, you are agreeing to wait until AT LEAST the end of 8th grade before you permit your child to have a smartphone. This does not mean that you agree to give them a smartphone at this time. You are delaying this technology until at least the end of 8th grade, and then as a family you can reassess the situation at the time. Some families may think their child is ready for a smartphone and others may determine a basic phone is better still until their child is older.
What if I need to get in touch with my child before then?
Consider buying your child a basic phone or a two-way calling watch. The pledge is for smartphones only. If you would like your child to have a basic phone that just calls and texts, you still can sign the pledge. The basic phone avoids many of the distractions and dangers of the smartphone. We have a list of basic phone options here.
What about a smartwatch? Can I get my child a smartwatch and still sign the pledge?
Yes. The pledge is for smartphones only. You If you do get a smartwatch for your child, proceed with caution. Smartwatches can be very distracting especially at school. In addition, a child is able to access some inappropriate content on some smartwatches. Turn off notifications on the watch during the school day. Disable the chid’s ability to download apps to the smartwatch. Check out this guide from Protect Young Eyes if you are considering an Apple Watch.
What is the difference between a smartphone and a basic phone?
A smartphone is a mobile phone that has access to an internet browser and an App Store. A basic phone is a phone that is used for the basic purpose of making calls and receiving calls. It also allows users to send and receive text messages. The Wait Until 8th pledge is encouraging parents to delay the smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade. If you would like your child to have a basic phone that just calls and texts, you still can sign the pledge! The basic phone avoids many of the distractions and dangers of the smartphone. Check out a list of basic phones here.
Where do I find a basic phone?
Please visit the Wait Until 8th Smartphone Alternatives list. We have listed several basic phones and two-way calling watches. A basic phone or two-way calling watch avoids many of the distractions and dangers of the smartphone.
How will the wait until 8th pledge work?
The pledge will empower parents to rally together to delay the smartphone at least until the end of 8th grade. By banding together, this will decrease the pressure within the child’s grade to have a smartphone.
By signing the online pledge, you promise not to give your child a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade as long as at least 10 families total from your child’s grade and school pledge. Once 10 families have pledged to delay the smartphone, you will be notified that the pledge is in effect! You will receive a list of families who are delaying from your child’s grade and emails for the parents. It is helpful to be connected with other families waiting in your child’s grade.
We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization. We may contact you in the future to update you on the pledge and when it is in effect for your grade. You will receive an email along with the other parents from your grade and school that sign the pledge when the pledge goes into effect. Your personal information will not be made public on this site.
what happens after i sign the pledge?
After you sign the pledge, you will receive an email from Wait Until 8th in one to two business days with tips and suggestions on how to rally other parents from your child's school to sign the pledge. If you do not receive an email after a couple of days, please notify us via email at info@waituntil8th.org .
Is my pledge anonymous?
The pledge is anonymous until the pledge becomes active. Once 10 or more families from the same grade and school sign, then the pledge becomes "active," and you will be notified along with the other parents who have signed from the grade in a group email. At this point, the pledge is not anonymous and you know the other families on board. It helps to know the other families you are waiting with on this big issue. Your pledge is not posted anywhere or made known publicly. The only other people who know you have signed the pledge are the parents from your child's grade and school, and ONLY IF you have an active pledge.
How will I know when the pledge is active?
Once 10 parents from your child's grade and school sign the pledge, Wait Until 8th will send a group email to the families who have signed. This will help you support one another on waiting. You will receive a list of families who are delaying from your child’s grade and the emails for the parents. Then moving forward, Wait Until 8th will notify the group of any new additions to the pledge. These updates are typically sent on Thursdays by our volunteers.
How do I bring the pledge to my school?
To start the pledge at your school, simply take the pledge and encourage other parents to sign as well. Once you take the pledge, you will receive an email in one to two business days with suggestions on how to rally your community around the Wait Until 8th pledge.
Do you have any materials I could use to share at my school and community?
Yes! Please go to our Resources page for many materials you may share in your community.
Do you have a sign up sheet i could use to gather pledges at my school?
Yes! You may use this sign up sheet to gather pledges at your school. After you gather the pledges, you will need to enter them online here so each pledge will be officially registered with Wait Until 8th.
What is the difference between a smartphone and an iPad?
Some parents have questioned if there is really a difference in allowing their child to have a smartphone and permitting them to have an iPad. There is a huge difference. No one walks around with an iPad in their pocket like a smartphone. The smartphone is essentially a mini-computer in your child's hands throughout the day. Typically an iPad is used within the home or for travel.
Is the pledge only in the United States?
Yes, the Wait Until 8th pledge is only in the United States. We do not have the resources to expand at this time. Countries with similar organizations include: Canada, Australia with Wait Mate and the Heads Up Alliance, Mexico, Sweden, and two groups in the United Kingdom (Kids for Now and Smartphone Free Childhood).
My child already has a smartphone. Is it too late to be part of this movement?
No! It is never too late to change your mind as a parent. Please share with your child that many families in their grade have decided that it is better to wait to have a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade. You can discuss with your child the many reasons families in their community are waiting until children are older for the smartphone. If your family is used to communicating with the phone and cannot go back to no phone for the child, another option would be to replace the child's smartphone with a basic phone that just calls and texts. Switching from a smartphone to a basic phone will help protect your child from the many dangers of the smartphone.
My child's SIBLING got a smartphone earlier. How do i switch gears with this child?
If your child has siblings that have received a phone earlier, then you can explain to the child that each child and grade is special. Circumstances and community shape how parents make decisions for each child. You can articulate that after much thought, you have concluded that it would be best to wait until the end of 8th grade. You can ensure them that other children in their grade are following the same path and they will not be the only person without a smartphone.
what about when my child gets to middle school? it is so big there!
One reason many parents give their child a smartphone is to be able to reach them once they enter middle school. They fear the size of the school will make it difficult to reach their child when needed.
The truth is that many families have navigated middle school phone free for decades. The school office phone is available for children when they need to reach you or for you when you need to reach them. Coaches and teachers have phones the child can use in emergencies. Also, in some districts, students have regular access to school issued email. Yes, your children are reachable.
More often than not though, children do not need parents to hold their hand through each decision in middle school. Part of growing up is learning how to make decisions without the constant direction and input of parents. It's part of the equipping process that prepares your child for adulthood and navigating the real world. If a child is not feeling well, instead of texting mom, the child determines she needs to go to the nurse. If a student forgot his shorts for gym, instead of texting dad to bring them, he asks around to borrow an extra pair from someone else. If your daughter is notified her after-school activity is cancelled that afternoon, she sends you a quick email asking you to pick her up earlier or goes to the office to call you. Each situation the child handles without a direct line to mom or dad builds confidence and paves the way from childhood to adulthood.
Still, some parents may think that at a certain point in middle school, they will need to get their child a phone to reach them. If this is the case, there are phones that strictly make calls and text. Check out the list here.
I want my middle schooler to have a way to connect with friends outside of school but I am not ready to say yes to the smartphone. What should I do?
After careful consideration, our family decided in middle school to allow our daughters to connect with peers via texting and FaceTime on a strip down iPad kept in the kitchen and family room. This was a nice, slow on ramp where they could connect socially with their friends online but it was limited to a space within our home versus always available to them on a smartphone. Everything was removed on the iPad except iMessage and FaceTime (no App Store, no games, no internet browser, etc). This got us through the middle school years without a smartphone. Some Wait Until 8th families will allow a basic phone for communication with peers. Check out some tech-wise options here.
We waited for a smartphone. Now what?
You did it! Congrats! First, determine if there is a need for a smartphone. Some families make it to the end of 8th grade and decide there is still not a need for a smartphone or that that their child is not ready for this responsibility.
If you do determine your family is ready for a smartphone, be sure you have many conversations about how to use the smartphone responsibly and moderately. Check out our digital training hub for more resources including family conversation guides. Also, start slowly. Do not hand over a fully loaded smartphone to a child. Remove the child’s ability to download apps. Also, take off access to the internet browser. Delay social media until 16. Read more here.
