A growing number of parents in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood are taking a stand against kids owning smartphones too early — and their movement is spreading across the city.
At Annette Street Junior and Senior Public School, parents of 107 students — nearly one-fifth of the school’s population — have pledged to wait until their children are at least 14 before giving them smartphones. The initiative is part of a nationwide pledge created by the non-profit Unplugged Canada, which encourages families to hold off until Grade 8 before allowing smartphone use.
Michele Locke, a parent of two and a co-founder of the Toronto chapter of Unplugged Canada, said the aim is to reduce peer pressure on children to get devices before they’re ready. “The sooner we can get parents aligned, the better,” Locke said. “Smartphones are designed to keep kids addicted.”
Locke, a clinical psychologist, first connected with like-minded parents after giving a talk in February about the impact of technology on children’s emotional health. Together with other parents, she began sharing the pledge in group chats, during school pick-ups, and even at playgrounds. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with many parents grateful for a chance to push back against what has become the norm.
Parent Kate Daley, who has three children at the school, said the data she learned about the links between smartphone use, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders was so compelling that she felt she had to act. What started as a conversation among six parents around a kitchen table soon became a grassroots campaign that gathered more than 75 signatures in the first month.
Interestingly, children have joined the movement too. Daley said her daughter, initially upset about not getting a phone, is now telling her peers about the benefits of staying device-free.
For some families, persuading parents of older children has been more challenging — especially those who have already given their kids phones to help track their location when walking home from school. Organizers suggested alternatives, such as Apple or Garmin watches, which allow tracking without social media or internet access.
One parent even installed a funky landline phone at home so her third grader could call friends and plan playdates — a retro solution that’s been a hit with the kids.
This Junction initiative is just part of a growing movement. Nationwide, over 4,100 parents have signed the pledge, with more than half in Ontario. Locke and her fellow organizers hope to build momentum across Toronto, and they’ve developed a guidebook to help other schools join the effort.
“The key is showing parents that it’s okay to hold this boundary,” Locke said. “Just like you wouldn’t hand a fourth grader car keys even if they begged to drive.”