Reclaiming childhood, together.

Smartphone Free Childhood began in February 2024 in the UK with two parents. Parent groups organized through social media to commit to no smartphones until age 14 — a collective answer to peer pressure.

Tens of thousands of parents joined the pledge, and the movement expanded to schools and policy conversations across the world.

In the UK, the spread through schools has shown how critical school support is for parents who struggle to set boundaries alone. We believe a similar model works in Türkiye.

In December 2024 we surveyed 320 parents in Türkiye and found the average age children get their first personal smartphone is 10.5.

Most children aged 10+ already have a smartphone, so the few who do not are at risk of social exclusion.

The way out is not just to restrict screens, but also to grow the community of children who do not use these devices — turning the alternative into the new normal.

In September 2025, the London borough of Barnet became the first borough to back the movement across all primary and secondary schools. The UK Department for Education issued guidance in 2023–2024 recommending phone restrictions during school hours.

France (2018), Netherlands (2024), South Korea (March 2026) and Denmark (2026) have all moved toward national restrictions in schools. Australia's under-16 social media ban took effect on December 10, 2025. Sweden is investing to bring books and notebooks back into classrooms. The European Parliament adopted a recommendation in November 2025 to set 16 as the social media age across the EU.

Volunteer chapters are active in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and more — and now Türkiye. Global index: smartphonefreechildhood.org/global-index

Throughout 2025 we ran public seminars for different age groups and special sessions for schools and companies, sharing why delaying the first smartphone matters and how parents can act together.

We hosted free seminars with leading experts on screen authority, addiction, sport as an alternative, sharenting and digital privacy — reaching hundreds of parents.

In February 2026 we ran the first Trainer Training and announced our goal: at least one active volunteer in all 81 provinces of Türkiye. The first cohort included volunteers from İstanbul, Ankara, Muğla, Çankırı, İzmir, Gazimağusa (Cyprus), Hatay, Sakarya, Antalya, Ordu and Düzce.

In 2026, the Ministry of Family and Social Services in Türkiye is reportedly drafting legislation that would restrict social media use for children under 15. We believe early action here will benefit society as a whole.