News Investigation

Keeping Kids Safe: 'Wait Until 8th' Pledge Aims to Empower Parents to Resist Smartphones for Children

Mar 2023 🇺🇸 Fox News

This Fox News feature centers Brooke Shannon and the Wait Until 8th pledge, following two families who use the group commitment to hold off on smartphones for their children. Shannon, identified as founder and executive director, explains the ten-family activation threshold and recommends basic phones or GPS watches as alternatives for parents who still want a way to reach their kids. The article frames early smartphone and social-media access as associated with cyberbullying risk and other social pressures on children, while also presenting a range of outside expert opinion: one psychologist argues strongly against phones for young adolescents on mental-health grounds, while another expert contends that teaching responsible use matters more than avoidance altogether. TechKids Foundation cites this piece for its side-by-side presentation of Shannon's pledge alongside experts who disagree with each other about the right approach.

45,000+ pledge signers

The article reports the Wait Until 8th pledge had been signed by more than 45,000 people as of this March 2023 piece.

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CITATION

"Keeping Kids Safe: 'Wait Until 8th' Pledge Aims to Empower Parents to Resist Smartphones for Children," Fox News, March 31, 2023. https://noticias.foxnews.com/lifestyle/keeping-kids-safe-wait-until-8th-pledge-aims-empower-parents-resist-smartphones-children

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