When should you give your child a smartphone? A growing number of parents are pledging to wait until the end of eighth grade. It’s part of a national campaign called Wait Until 8th, a movement that’s now 115,000 parents strong.
We spoke with Brooke Shannon, executive director and founder of Wait Until 8th, about what happens after families take the pledge to delay and how they make it work.
The idea behind Wait Until 8th is simple: smartphones weren’t made for kids. A growing number of studies link excessive smartphone use to worse academic performance, poor sleep quality, and worse mental health, among other concerns.
By waiting until at least age 14, families can help preserve the elementary and middle school years — limiting distractions and dangers, while giving kids more time to just be kids.
Wait Until 8th also accomplishes something that most smartphone bans do not: the pledge is designed to rally parents from the same school to take the pledge together, creating a collective delay that gives families community support and helps ease peer pressure (“Mom, everyone else has an iPhone!”).
Once families take the Wait Until 8th pledge, what does life actually look like without a smartphone? Are there routines or mindset shifts that tend to help most?
Honestly, it usually looks a lot like childhood used to. Kids still connect with their friends, but it is more through playdates, sports, and group activities instead of group texts and social media.
Families that do well with the pledge often create routines that make it feel natural, such as family dinners without devices, encouraging after-school hangouts, or getting kids into hobbies that keep them engaged offline.
The biggest shift is really in mindset. It helps to stop thinking of the pledge as “holding kids back” and instead see it as giving them space to grow up without the added stress of a smartphone.
Childhood is short, and we are protecting that time.
What are the biggest challenges families face after saying no to smartphones (especially in middle school) and how do they navigate the peer pressure that can come with that?
The number one challenge families expect is peer pressure. Middle schoolers often say, “Everyone else has one,” and that can feel overwhelming. But this is where the beauty of the pledge shines.
When families take the pledge together, kids quickly realize they are not the only ones without a phone. That changes everything. Instead of being singled out, they see classmates and friends in the same situation, and the pressure eases.
For parents, too, it is reassuring to know other families are making the same choice, so it no longer feels like you are swimming upstream alone. Many families tell us that the pledge makes waiting much easier because it replaces isolation with community.
What role does community play in making the pledge sustainable? Have you seen examples of families or schools building support systems around this choice?
Community makes all the difference. When parents and schools work together, it takes the pressure off everyone. Collective support helps both kids and parents feel that this is not just a “weird rule” in their house, it is a shared value in their community.
Are there particular tools, tips, or talking points you recommend to help parents explain the decision to their child — and to other parents who might question it?
With kids, being honest and empathetic goes a long way. You might say something like, “We want to protect your time for the things you love, sports, friends, and fun, without all the pressure that comes with a phone right now.” Or even, “Phones can wait, but childhood cannot.”
With other parents, it can be as simple as saying, “We are choosing to wait because of what the research says about mental health and attention span.” In terms of tools, some families use a basic phone or a family-shared device for safety, and that can make the transition easier.
For parents who are on the fence or feeling like it’s “too late,” what encouragement or advice would you offer? Is it ever too late to rethink the smartphone timeline?
It is never too late. Even if your child already has a phone, you can rethink what that looks like, perhaps by removing social media, setting clear screen-free times, or even swapping to a basic phone.
The pledge was never about being perfect, it is about being intentional. Every step you take to delay or limit smartphones gives your child more space to be present and enjoy being a kid. So no, it is not too late at all, and you are giving your child a gift at any stage if you choose to slow things down.
The decision of when (or if) to give your child a smartphone depends on your family’s values, lifestyle, and your child’s maturity. But most experts agree: delaying access to internet-connected devices — especially smartphones — can protect your child’s well-being and development.
When your child is ready for a device like an iPhone or iPad, stay involved. Set boundaries, monitor their online activity, and keep the conversation going. And if you need support, BrightCanary makes it easier to monitor what your child types across apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and Discord, so you can stay informed and connected.
