Cork community to launch campaign aimed at delaying use of smartphones by under-16s

A Cork community is launching a campaign in a bid to delay the use of smartphones and social media by its teenage population.

The Rebels Unplugged initiative, to be launched in Fermoy on Tuesday, is a project by local parents and families, schools, clubs and preschools.

The aim is to delay the use of smartphones and social media until the age of 16.

Rebels Unplugged co-founder Aida Whooley said: “Even though the risks and harms are widely known these days, and there is much talk in the media and at Government level about the need to introduce safety measures to protect children, the reality is that progress is slow to come about.

"In the meantime, children and their parents continue to face immense peer pressure, and no parent wants their child to be the odd one out.

“The crunch point often comes around sixth class and Confirmation time, so we are hoping to change that narrative, so that no matter what primary school a child attends or what secondary school they move on to, there is a supportive community of adults and peers around them all agreeing to hold off until age 16."

Voluntary agreement for parents 

The development group is planning to introduce a voluntary agreement for parents in the area, as well as recommendations for schools, and supports for parents around tech-use during playdates.

The group says in families where a child has already been given a smartphone, there are options open to them to be part of the project.

They suggest an optional “playdate code” that parents can use “to help navigate what can sometimes be uncomfortable conversations around what smart-devices / internet children can have access to in each other’s homes”.

On Tuesday evening, the director of the Waterford Education Support Centre and co-founder of the Gen Free Charter in Waterford, Brian Barron, will be the guest speaker.

A similar initiative has also been undertaken in Greystones, Co Wicklow.

Co-founder of the Rebels Unplugged group Karen Ahern said next week’s launch follows a focus group in May, where one of the most commonly-suggested words for the initiative was “unplugged”.

The campaign will be launched in Grange National School, Fermoy, on Tuesday at 7pm.

It comes as the European Commission has opened a consultation process on the EU Kids Act which seeks to restrict social media access for under 15s across the European Union’s member states.