Wait Until 8th

The Wait Until 8th pledge empowers parents to rally together to delay smartphones until at least the end of 8th grade. Delay social media until 16+!

[Wait Until 8th @WaitUntil8th]

Thank you @TODAYshow for featuring the Wait Until 8th pledge as a resource for parents wanting to delay the smartphone for their kids until at least 8th grade! And thank you @jean_twenge for weighing in! We always appreciate your insight!

[TODAY @TODAYshow]

A recent survey says a majority of kids have their own smartphones by the age of 12 — but a growing number of parents are bucking that trend. @TVKateSnow has more on the debate over kids and cell phones.

[Matthew Continetti @continetti]

“I cannot be more emphatic: This is an enormous problem that’s not getting enough attention,” said @natmalkus, a senior fellow @AEIeducation @AEI.
https://t.co/yysd7gCynR

[Wait Until 8th @WaitUntil8th]

A group of parents is going viral for delaying smartphones until the end of 8th grade with the “Wait Until 8th” pledge — giving their kids Tin Can landline phones instead to stay connected safely.
https://t.co/8R1efyAFV0

[Jonathan Haidt @JonHaidt]

The Amazing Generation is getting rave reviews from parents reporting on their kids' reactions. Kids love it, and say they no longer want a smartphone.
Here are the reviews, with one below

https://t.co/4UpicREZFw

[Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel]

Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being

An intervention found that blocking internet access on smartphones for 2 weeks improved mental health, subjective well-being, and objectively measured ability to sustain attention; 91% of participants improved on at least one of these outcomes.

Why?

Because instead of using their phone, people spent more time socializing in person, exercising, and being in nature.
https://t.co/astJDpCwtq

[Jonathan Haidt @JonHaidt]

Bravo @GovMurphy! Thank you for your leadership in getting phones out of the school day for New Jersey's kids.

Based on experiences in other states we can expect learning, laughter, friendship, and library usage to increase, while discipline problems go down.

[Dallas Texas TV @DallasTexasTV]

Greg Abbott signs new Texas law banning K-12 students from using cell phones during school hours

[Julie Jargon @juliejargon]

Teens’ trust in iPhone messages is abused by scammers who pose as girls and “sextort” teen boys. “They keep pushing until they get it all,” one dad told me. https://t.co/pbwRNW9siI via @WSJ

[Wait Until 8th @WaitUntil8th]

📉 Instagram is harming kids—and few parents are using the available tool to keep them safer.

Meta's own research shows fewer than 1 in 10 teens have Instagram Supervision turned on.

Set up Supervision today. Here's how ⬇️
https://t.co/WA7bXYQYAM

[Raising Healthy Families @thriving__kids]

The day your child gets a phone, is the day their childhood ends

Phones expose kids to many harmful things such as:
-Inappropriate content (p*rn, violence..)
-Social media comparisons
-Cyber bullying

But it also steals many normal & necessary childhood experiences from them

This is why so many teens & suffering from poor mental health

And why many teens wish they hadn't been given a phone so early

Let kids be kids & grow up without a smartphone

[Coach Mike Kafka @mikekafka3]

For this season’s My Cause, My Cleats game, my shoes will represent Wait Until 8th. @WaitUntil8th is a pledge my wife Alli and I have made to wait to give our kids a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade.

[Haralson Co Sheriff GA @HaralsonSheriff]

Hey parents, have you heard of @WaitUntil8th? This great program helps families prioritize their child’s mental & physical health by delaying smartphone exposure. We encourage y’all to visit their site to learn more.

https://t.co/ZZ1dDzQgm8

#WaitUntil8th
#ProtectYourKids
#HCSO

[Wait Until 8th @WaitUntil8th]

What if I told you there was a simple solution to help kids be kids a little longer?

That we don’t have to give our children smartphones and social media when they’re not ready.

What if I told you that families don’t have to go it alone?

Make this your story. #waituntil8th

[Gulf Coast News @GCNNow]

Parents join 'Wait Until 8th' pledge, delaying kids use of smartphones https://t.co/wjyRGMppop

[Jean Twenge (author of 10 RULES, GENERATIONS) @jean_twenge]

The new documentary "Social Studies" focuses on teens' experiences with social media. What they say is stunning: They feel liberated when they have to put their phones away at school. They would rather not have social media, but are afraid of being left out. It's a classic collective action problem. Time for action.
https://t.co/4E6U0jR3l6

[Mike Salguero @mikesalguero]

Last night, our kids' school hosted an event with Brooke Shannon, the founder of @WaitUntil8th.. The goal is to have a community of parents say "not yet" to smartphones until after 8th grade so that your kid is not the only one... we signed!

[Good Morning America @GMA]

EXCLUSIVE: Instagram CEO @mosseri talks about the app's new "Teen Accounts" experience, which is aimed at users under 18: “They are an automatic set of protections for teens that try to address the top concerns that we've heard from parents about teens online.”

[Mark SooHoo @MarkSooHoo]

Momentum is growing for @WaitUntil8th here in Wilmette! We've seen 5x growth in the past year thanks to @JonHaidt @Surgeon_General and many more sounding the alarm about kids and smartphones. Check out the latest from @TheRecordNS to learn more. https://t.co/LEdZKovBY8

[Adam Grant @AdamMGrant]

Heavy screen use might create a vicious cycle for young kids.

New data: the more time 3.5-year-olds spent on tablets, the more angry outbursts they had at age 4.5... and the more they used tablets at 5.5.

Digital soothing is not a substitute for teaching emotion regulation.

[Mark SooHoo @MarkSooHoo]

Thank you @mikebirbiglia for giving @WaitUntil8th a shout out on @PivotPod with @karaswisher. Delay smartphones and let kids be kids a little longer! https://t.co/N0XFEAtx2H

[Clare Morell @ClareMorellEPPC]

States and school districts should get phones out of the entire school day. I have a new policy memo out that shows how this can be done: https://t.co/7z5Pl5DD61