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www.waituntil8th.org

Dear Woodside Elementary School Families,

Let's rally together as a community to delay giving children smartphones until at least grade 8! 

The statistics are depressing!  The average age that a child gets a smartphone is 10 years old.  Children are spending between 6 and 9 hours a day on media and internet.  Childhood is changing and it is not for the better.  The negative impact of too much screen time is hitting kids and families hard.

The good news is that there is a wonderful resource to help parents delay the introduction of the smartphone into their children’s lives.  It is a golden opportunity for families, schools and communities to send a message and bond over shared values of connectivity and childhood essentials.  Let's put away the phones in favor of playing outdoors, participating in sports and arts, spending time with friends, reading books and hanging out with family. 

By banding together, we are voicing shared values and decreasing the pressure felt by kids and parents alike over our kids having a smartphone.

The argument that your child needs a phone to contact you is not ignored by this program.  The Wait Until 8th pledge provides for a protocol.  If you would like your child to have a basic phone to make calls and texts, you still can sign the pledge! The basic phone avoids many of the distractions and dangers of the smartphone.

To learn more, please visit www.waituntil8th.org .

Also check out these recent news stories about the Wait Until 8th pledge!

Let's make Woodside a Wait Until 8th Pledge school and community!  Childhood is too short to waste on a smartphone. Let's let kids be kids a little longer. Take the pledge at www.waituntil8th.org.

Thank you for your time! Keep an eye out for additional information from us and please contact us anytime with questions!

Sincerely,

Scottie Durrett & Jane Glanville