High school head letter

Dear [INSERT NAME],

We are writing to you in connection with the shift in thinking about smartphones (and indeed smart devices in general) in the lives of young people, and specifically in the lives of your learners.

As [INSERT SCHOOL] parents, we have recently joined a world-wide grassroots movement of parents called SFC, which sprung up in the UK in February 2024, and has launched in South Africa. The movement’s aim is to empower parents to change the norm, and delay giving children smartphones until at least 14, with no social media until 16.

Globally, we are at a tipping point – with research showing a clear link between the age at which a child receives their first smartphone and mental health issues in young adulthood. The harms from excessive smartphone use, as we know, are wide-ranging – from reduced self-esteem to disrupted learning, bullying, grooming and addiction – as well as the huge opportunity cost, the things children and teens are not doing because they are on their devices. Social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, has called for a collective swing towards four new norms, that he believes would provide a foundation upon which a healthier kind of childhood could be forged for the digital age:

1. No smartphones before high school.
2. No social media before 16.
3. Phone-free schools.
4. More independence, free play and responsibility in the real world.

We know how much pressure schools are under and are so grateful for all the work you and your staff team do to educate and mentor our children. We are very much in support of the school and acknowledge that it is parents who purchase smartphones for their children. However, we believe that you have a crucial part to play in guiding and helping parents navigate this rapidly evolving area of our children’s lives.

We know that changing the norm is ultimately up to us as parents, rather than the school, but we feel that support from you on this issue would make all the difference, and empower other parents to collectively work together and support each other.

We understand that [INSERT SCHOOL] may not allow learners to use phones in class and acknowledge how thoughtfully you and the rest of the school leadership will have weighed up your policies. We are also aware that although bodies such as UNESCO have argued that smartphones should be banned from all schools, the South African Department of Basic Education has not yet provided guidance on what is a fast-moving and sensitive subject.

However, as parents we believe that unless smartphones are restricted in schools and at home to a far greater extent than they are today, the adolescent mental health crisis that we have sleepwalked into will only worsen. When smartphones first came out, we had no idea of their risks. Now, the evidence is overwhelming, and we need to do things differently.

We would be grateful to meet with you, to discuss our ideas about collaborating with the school to bring parents together on this issue, including:

• Considering a policy that insists that all phones must be kept in lockers during school hours. This has worked well in other countries, where Heads can approve exemptions on a case-by-case basis for students with certain exceptional circumstances such as medical reasons.
• Organising a workshop for parents setting out the research around the risks of smartphone and social media use in adolescence and discussing what alternative norms we might agree to for our children. We are happy to organise this, if you are willing to support it.
• Exploring guidance from the school:
  • Encouraging parents to consider alternatives to smartphones (recommendations below), including minimal phones and tracking tags for the journey to and from school
  • Encouraging parents not to buy a smartphone until their children are 14 and not to allow their children on social media until they are 16.
  • Encouraging parents to be conscious about the time spent by children on smartphones, install appropriate filters and controls, and ensure that devices are kept out of bedrooms at night.
  • Encouraging delay via campaigns such as SFC to allow those parents who are keen to act collectively and avoid the nagging power of their tweens.
  • Engaging feeder schools or local primaries to make it so that children are not joining the school already in possession of smartphones, with access to social media.

If these steps were taken, we believe the positive impact on pupil wellbeing would be immediate. If schools and parents work together on this, we can change the norm. You can find out more on the latest empirical data on the negative impact of smartphones on kids here: www.sfc-sa.co.za

We very much look forward to working with you on this and hope we can arrange a meeting to discuss the way forward.

Yours sincerely,

[INSERT NAME]