Tonbridge Bean

Concerns about children and smartphones aren’t new. For many parents, questions about when—and whether—to give their child a smartphone have been simmering for years. But over recent months, those conversations have started to come out into the open, helped in part by the Netflix show Adolescence, a hard hitting series that put the issue front and centre.

In response, the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign is growing rapidly. It’s a national movement encouraging parents to delay giving smartphones to their children until the age of 14, with a simple message: it’s easier to say not yet if we do it together. The campaign doesn’t tell parents what to do, but instead provides support and community through its Parent Pact and an excellent Toolkit, which includes advice on talking to your child, navigating peer pressure, and linking up with like-minded families.

Across the country, more than 13,000 parents have signed up, pledging to delay smartphone ownership—adding up to 135,000 individual pacts. And here in Kent, over 4,400 pacts have already been made across 458 schools.

What’s Happening in Tonbridge?

The response in Tonbridge has been varied, but it’s clear that interest is growing.

Sussex Road Community Primary School currently leads the way in our town, with 166 pacts—enough to put it second in the whole of Kent, just behind Claremont Primary in Tunbridge Wells. Other Tonbridge schools involved include:

• The Schools at Somerhill (Pre-Prep) – 44 pacts
• Tonbridge Grammar School – 36 pacts
• The Judd School – 6 pacts
• Slade Primary School and Nursery – 6 pacts
• Hillview School for Girls – 5 pacts
• Hilden Grange Preparatory School – 4 pacts
• Long Mead Community Primary School – 2 pacts
• Royal Rise Primary School – 1 pact
• Cage Green Primary School – 1 pact
• Woodlands Primary School – 1 pact
• Stocks Green Primary School – 1 pact
• Weald of Kent Grammar School – 1 pact

These numbers may seem small in some cases, but they reflect the early stages of a cultural shift—one that needs open conversations, not pressure or judgement. Every pledge helps to normalise the idea that a smartphone isn’t a given at age 9 or 10.

How Can Parents Get Involved?

If you’re a parent thinking about smartphone use at home or in school, you’re not alone. The Smartphone Free Childhood website offers a free Parent Toolkit, full of practical resources. Whether you’re just starting to think about this or already know you want to delay smartphones, the toolkit helps with navigating conversations—with children, schools, and other parents.

You can also check whether your child’s school has signed up to the pact, or even encourage your school to get involved if it hasn’t yet. The aim isn’t to ban smartphones or shame families who’ve already gone down that road—but to support those who want to take a different path.

A Moment for Community

The Smartphone Free Childhood campaign works because it taps into something many parents already feel: a desire to protect childhood for just a bit longer. And by acting together—locally and nationally—it becomes easier to do just that.

In Tonbridge, we’re already seeing some schools take the lead. The question now is how many more might follow—and how we can support each other in making decisions that feel right for our families.

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