Adam Beck Junior Public School community tops Canadian list pledging to delay children’s use of smartphones

By ERIN HORROCKS-POPE

A growing number of East Toronto families are banding together to push back against the pressure to give kids smartphones; and their collective voice is being heard across the country.

At Adam Beck Junior Public School on Scarborough Road, more than 110 families have signed on to Unplugged Canada, a new initiative that encourages parents to delay giving smartphones and social media access to children until at least age 14. The Adam Beck community now holds the highest number of pledges in the country.

The local effort is being led by Rebecca Snow, a Beach parent and award-winning filmmaker.

Her latest feature film, The Boy in the Woods, earned her the title of Best Canadian Director at the 2024 Oakville Festival of Film and Arts. Snow is now working on a new documentary focused on the risks children face in the online world, including the mental health impacts of early exposure to smartphones and social media.

“As a parent of a child going into middle school this fall, these are daily conversations in our household and in the schoolyard,” said Snow. “So many parents are struggling with the decision around smartphones, and the truth is we shouldn’t have to make that choice alone.”

Unplugged Canada was founded in Vancouver in early 2024 and is part of a growing international movement alongside efforts like Wait Until 8th in the U.S. and Smartphone Free Childhood in the United Kingdom. Its mission is to create collective action through school communities by encouraging families to sign a public pledge to delay smartphones.

The pledge specifically targets smartphones and social media, not tablets, smartwatches, or safety tools such as AirTags. The aim is to delay the most addictive and socially pressurized forms of tech until children are developmentally ready.

“There’s power in the pledge,” said Snow. “It eases social pressure between kids and supports parents in making a hard, but important, decision.”

“I don’t blame parents,” she said. “I blame tech companies and governments for creating a culture that puts us in an impossible position. We either give our kids access to something we now understand to be harmful, or we risk them feeling alienated from their peers.”

That’s where the strength of Unplugged Canada lies, said Snow. “The pledge gives us a way to act together. There’s power in numbers. When families make this choice collectively, we can start to shift the culture and set new norms for healthier, safer childhoods.”

The initiative isn’t just about personal choices; it’s also a call for systemic change.

By pledging, families support Unplugged Canada’s formal Calls to Action to governments and tech companies, demanding stricter policies and age enforcement to protect children’s developing minds, similar to recent changes in countries such as Norway and Australia.

The evidence behind the initiative is growing. Research links excessive smartphone and social media use in youth to increased anxiety, sleep disruption, emotional dysregulation, and even structural changes in the brain. Psychologists and pediatric experts recommend delaying use until adolescence, when kids are better equipped to understand and manage the online world.

With the support of Adam Beck’s school administration and a parent community ready for change, Snow said she hopes to see more local schools participate.

“We’re not anti-technology,” she said. “We’re just asking: can we wait until kids are ready? If we act together, we can shift the norm and give childhood back to our kids.”

To learn more about Unplugged Canada and the smartphone pledge, please go to https://unpluggedcanada.com/