Smartphones are changing childhood
Tech companies are investing billions to make apps and devices as addictive as possible. For children, whose brains are still developing, this can be particularly devastating.
Health risks
In direct comparison, 12-year-olds who own a smartphone have a significantly higher risk of depression, obesity, and sleep deprivation than their peers who do not.
Reduced ability to concentrate
After a single distraction from a smartphone, it can take up to 23 minutes to regain focus. On average, teenagers receive 237 notifications a day.
Addictive potential
Smartphone apps are designed for addictive potential. Swipe, reward, repeat. The artificial dopamine hits make them work like a drug. The business model is «maximum engagement» through as much screen time as possible.
Because of the business model — hook, hold (keeping attention), harvest (harvesting data) and hide (hiding the harm from the public) — Meta paid 18 billion dollars in a settlement in the US in August 2026. If TikTok, Snap and YouTube follow suit, uniform nationwide youth-protection measures are set to apply. Europe is not affected for now, but the case could serve as a reference model.
Reduced self-esteem
"We found that children and adolescents are constantly exposed to comparisons with people they perceive as socially superior—for example, those they find more attractive or who seem wealthier, more popular, and happier to them."
"If something is a tool, it just sits there, waiting patiently. If something is not a tool, it demands things from you. It seduces you. It manipulates you. It wants your attention."
Later rather than sooner
Smartphones are the gateway to social media and the Wild West of the internet. When children don't have a device in their pocket 24/7, we give them a great sense of freedom. The longer we wait to give our children a smartphone, the more time they have to grow, develop, and learn—far away from addictive algorithms and the constant comparisons on social media.
"Old-fashioned" phone until at least 14
A phone is enough to stay reachable. It doesn't have to be a smartphone.
Personal social media accounts from age 16 at the earliest
Social comparison in real life can be difficult enough; there is no need for a global comparison with "content creators" and their filters.
Together
Internet and chat access via a shared computer. Discovering media literacy together.
Together against peer pressure
The main reason children get a smartphone early is the pressure that “everyone else already has one”. The Parent Pact turns that pressure around: the more families at a school join, the more normal it becomes to grow up without your own smartphone — and the easier it gets for every single child.
Q&A
Our Frequently Asked Questions help raise awareness of this topic among parents, teachers, schools, policymakers, youth organizations, and clubs.
No, because developing and maturing brains are more vulnerable ("all gas and no brake"). For instance, the prefrontal cortex in the brain is not fully developed in men until age 25, and about two years earlier in women. Smartphones at 25 is, of course, unrealistic. But we want to help our children learn how to use these devices healthily while their "brakes" are not yet fully developed.
For other people's children—but not their own
Many developers keep the technologies they invented away from their own children. No one makes money when children play outside, argue and make up, or grow together. The business model for apps is based on "maximum engagement"—that is, keeping users online as long as possible to maximize profit.
"We don't allow iPads in the house. We think it's too dangerous for the children."
Founder of Apple
"In general, I don't want my children spending a lot of time in front of the TV or computer."
Founder of Meta
Limits his (then) seven-year-old son's media use to 90 minutes per week—compared to the average American teenager, who spends nearly nine hours a day in front of screens.
CEO of Snap Inc. (Snapchat)
He feels "tremendous guilt" for helping to build Facebook. His own children "aren't allowed to use this crap."
Former Facebook Vice President of Growth, now an activist.
"God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains."
First President of Facebook, 2017
"I didn't allow my three children to have their own smartphones or computers until they were 14."
Founder of Microsoft
In 2018, he stated that his then eleven-year-old son did not own a smartphone.
CEO of Google
"Facebook used a range of features specifically tailored to the weaknesses of young users, exploiting their risks and harmful nature while obscuring the dangers of these features. Every lever was pulled to increase user engagement and addiction."
Whistleblower (“Careless People”)
"I am convinced that the devil lives in our smartphones and is harming our children." She did not allow her children to have smartphones until they reached high school.
Former Executive Assistant at Facebook
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