Following the success of its Press Pause, Go Play events held at Rustenburg Girls’ Junior School on Wednesday evening and live-streamed at SACS Junior School last night, Smartphone Free Childhood South Africa (SFC) is causing quite a stir among Cape Town’s schooling communities.
Parents all over South Africa are joining the movement to remove smartphones from the school environment in an effort to delay their children’s exposure to social media and smartphones.
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SFC joins a global initiative led by parents who are concerned about the impact of smartphone technology on their children’s mental health and well-being, following countless cases of sextortion, cyberbullying and addiction disrupting their internal communities.
Moving towards a slow-tech and low-tech childhood, SFC advocates for collective action to put off the premature introduction of mobile devices at home and in the school environment to offer South African children a chance to grow up in the real world, where their mental, emotional, physical and social development thrive.
This week’s events were led by a distinguished panel of experts, including Emma Sadleir. Founder of the Digital Law Company, Emma is a leading expert on social media law and spoke of her first-hand experiences of the implications of kids’ engagement online.
Also on the panel was Kate Farina, who started the parenting support organisation Be in Touch. She aims to give parents the tools they need to keep their kids safer and smarter online. During the discussion, she shared the latest statistics and research, gave insight into the global tipping point that is happening now, and spoke about why it’s important to put off using devices and social media.
At the end of the talk, participants were invited to sign the Petition for Smartphone-Free Schools in South Africa, as well as the SFC Parent Pact, which encourages parents to activate a WhatsApp group for their child’s class to connect with like-minded families on a mission to change toxic digital norms affecting our society.
Visit the SFC website for further information and resources.
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Picture: RDNE Stock project / Pexels
