Metro Detroit parents delay smartphones for kids
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A movement is growing among parents in Metro Detroit — delaying when their kids get a smartphone.
Why it matters: Early smartphone use has been linked to depression, detachment and lower attention span, researchers have found.
- A group called Wait Until 8th is pushing back on the pressure to give kids smartphones at younger and younger ages.
State of play: Wait Until 8th advocates for parents to set up local chapters to spread its message in their kids' schools, at PTA meetings, in parent meetups and with local leaders. It has grown from 80,000 pledges nationwide in October 2024 to nearly 160,000 this October.
Zoom in: Around 50 public and private schools in Michigan have at least 10 families have taken the Wait Until 8th pledge.
- Around 20 of those are in Southeast Michigan, with the most in Oakland County.
- The list includes Ferndale Lower Elementary in Oak Park, Beverly Elementary School in Beverly Hills, Our Lady Star of the Sea Elementary in Grosse Pointe Woods and Burns Park Elementary School in Ann Arbor.
By the numbers: More than half of kids 8 and younger have their own mobile device, mostly tablets, according to a Common Sense Media report.
- They spent an average of two and a half hours a day on screens as of 2024.
What they're saying: "These kids are at the point where they're kind of addicted to that 'ding,' and they get to where they crave it, and it becomes an impulse," Plymouth-Canton Community Schools parent Sarah Krzyzanski told Michigan Advance early this year, discussing school cell phone bans.
Yes, but: Three-quarters of parents of young kids said they like providing screens for learning and connecting with friends, according to Common Sense.
- Parents also cite safety as a top reason for giving kids their own phone, according to Ipsos.
The intrigue: Updated home phones are gaining interest as a smartphone alternative, as kids without smartphones still want to call their friends.
- Companies like Tin Can make corded, old-school-looking phones that run off WiFi instead of requiring a traditional hardwire connection.
Go deeper: Tin Cans are bringing landlines to a new generation