Parents unite in Denmark to promote smartphone-free childhoods

In recent times, many parents have grown concerned about the impact of smartphones on their children’s lives, prompting the formation of groups like ‘Smartphone-Free Childhood.’ This movement allows parents to sign a declaration committing to not giving their children smartphones until at least eighth grade, inspired by similar initiatives in the United States. Since its inception in spring, the group, founded by Christina Andersen and her husband, James Tyler, has gathered thousands of signatures from parents across the country.

Christina Andersen highlights a desire among many parents to provide their children with a play-based childhood, free from excessive screen time. The initiative connects parents in similar grades, helping them support each other in resisting peer pressure as their children transition to school.

In addition to ‘Smartphone-Free Childhood,’ another initiative called ‘Screen-Safe Childhood’ is developing alternative social media platforms that are not driven by algorithms designed to capture attention. Mads Hardahl-Haugaard, chairman of the SSP collaboration among schools, social services, and police, emphasizes the importance of creating safe environments for children.

Parent engagement has become a focal point in school meetings, where educators discuss the implications of smartphone use alongside topics such as alcohol. Movements like ‘MAMA – Mothers Against Media Addiction’ in the United States demonstrate the growing global concern over the impact of screens on childhood.

Experts, like CBS professor Mikkel Flyverbom, view these parental movements as a welcome shift away from uncritical acceptance of technology in education. He notes that parents are increasingly recognizing the need for collective solutions to screen time, striving for healthier daily routines for their children. Andersen hopes to see even more parents join the movement, wishing for a future where such initiatives become unnecessary.