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Sign The Pact
Healthier-Childhood

Our Commitment to
Protecting What Matters Most

We-make-this-commitment

We make this commitment because:

  • Smartphones have been linked to increased anxiety, depression, and poor sleep in young people.
  • Social media platforms expose children to peer pressure, cyberbullying, and unhealthy comparisons.
  • Limiting access allows children to develop stronger social skills, better emotional regulation, and more meaningful relationships.
  • Most importantly, we are stronger when we act together. Community support helps parents resist the pressure to give in earlier than they believe is healthy.

Our Shared Values:

  • We value our children's mental health, education, and social development.
  • We believe that delaying personal smartphones and social media access allows children to enjoy a safer, healthier childhood.
  • We commit to working together as parents to encourage alternatives to excessive screen time.
Our-Shared-Values

Why Delay Smartphones
and Social Media

Mental Health Impact
  • Adolescents with problematic smartphone use are 3x more likely to experience depression and anxiety.
  • 1 in 5 teenagers have reported suicidal thoughts linked to negative online experiences.
  • Increased loneliness, social comparison, and emotional dysregulation are directly associated with early smartphone and social media exposure.
  • Rising cases of self-harm behaviors among adolescents are partly attributed to exposure to triggering content on social media.
Sleep Impact
  • Blue light from screens delays melatonin production, leading to disrupted sleep cycles and poor-quality sleep.
  • Children with smartphones are more likely to have irregular sleep, leading to reduced attention, irritability, and academic difficulties.
  • Over 60% of teenagers sleep with their phones, causing sleep interruptions and chronic sleep deprivation.
Exposure to Inappropriate Content

Children and adolescents with unrestricted smartphone and social media access are commonly exposed to:

  • Sexual content (pornography, sexually explicit material)
  • Violent content (videos depicting fights, abuse, or gore)
  • Self-harm and suicide content, sometimes disguised as supportive communities promoting harmful behavior
  • Racist and discriminatory material promoting hate speech
  • Eating disorder content (promoting unhealthy weight loss, extreme dieting, or pro-ana culture)

This exposure is linked to early sexualization, desensitization to violence, increased risk of self-harm, normalization of disordered eating, and heightened anxiety and body image issues.

Cyberbullying
  • Up to 59% of teens have reported being bullied online.

Cyberbullying can happen 24/7, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, loneliness, and social withdrawal.

 

Early access to social media heightens this risk as children lack the emotional resilience and coping skills to navigate online harassment.

Social & Academic Impact
  • Excessive smartphone use reduces face-to-face social interaction, leading to underdeveloped communication and empathy skills.
  • Early and unsupervised smartphone use is linked to lower empathy, reduced attention spans, and lower academic achievement due to distractions and sleep deprivation.

Delaying smartphones and social media helps:

 

  • Protect children from harmful and inappropriate content.
  • Reduce risk of cyberbullying and its emotional consequences.
  • Improve mental health, sleep, and social development.
  • Support better academic performance.
  • Allow children to develop healthy social skills and emotional resilience.
View Resources

Why Delay Smartphones
and Social Media

Mental Health Impact

1 of 6
Mental Health Impact
  • Adolescents with problematic smartphone use are 3x more likely to experience depression and anxiety.
  • 1 in 5 teenagers have reported suicidal thoughts linked to negative online experiences.
  • Increased loneliness, social comparison, and emotional dysregulation are directly associated with early smartphone and social media exposure.
  • Rising cases of self-harm behaviors among adolescents are partly attributed to exposure to triggering content on social media.

Sleep Impact

2 of 6
Sleep Impact
  • Blue light from screens delays melatonin production, leading to disrupted sleep cycles and poor-quality sleep.
  • Children with smartphones are more likely to have irregular sleep, leading to reduced attention, irritability, and academic difficulties.
  • Over 60% of teenagers sleep with their phones, causing sleep interruptions and chronic sleep deprivation.

Exposure to Inappropriate Content

3 of 6
Exposure to Inappropriate Content

Children and adolescents with unrestricted smartphone and social media access are commonly exposed to:

  • Sexual content (pornography, sexually explicit material)
  • Violent content (videos depicting fights, abuse, or gore)
  • Self-harm and suicide content, sometimes disguised as supportive communities promoting harmful behavior
  • Racist and discriminatory material promoting hate speech
  • Eating disorder content (promoting unhealthy weight loss, extreme dieting, or pro-ana culture)

This exposure is linked to early sexualization, desensitization to violence, increased risk of self-harm, normalization of disordered eating, and heightened anxiety and body image issues.

Cyberbullying

4 of 6
Cyberbullying
  • Up to 59% of teens have reported being bullied online.

Cyberbullying can happen 24/7, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, loneliness, and social withdrawal.

 

Early access to social media heightens this risk as children lack the emotional resilience and coping skills to navigate online harassment.

Social & Academic Impact

5 of 6
Social & Academic Impact
  • Excessive smartphone use reduces face-to-face social interaction, leading to underdeveloped communication and empathy skills.
  • Early and unsupervised smartphone use is linked to lower empathy, reduced attention spans, and lower academic achievement due to distractions and sleep deprivation.

Summary

6 of 6

Delaying smartphones and social media helps:

 

  • Protect children from harmful and inappropriate content.
  • Reduce risk of cyberbullying and its emotional consequences.
  • Improve mental health, sleep, and social development.
  • Support better academic performance.
  • Allow children to develop healthy social skills and emotional resilience.
View Resources
raising-kids

Raising Kids Without Smartphones: Here's Why It Matters

Read More

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my child be left out if everyone else has a smartphone?

+

This is one of the biggest fears parents express. In reality, many parents feel uncomfortable about early smartphone use but give in due to peer pressure. The Parent Pact is designed to reduce that pressure by creating a collective agreement. The more parents join, the less 'left out' children will feel. Many communities have found that when parents unite, the pressure quickly diminishes.

What about emergencies? I need to be able to contact my child.

+

There are many alternatives to smartphones for safety and communication:

  • Basic mobile phones (calls & SMS only).
  • Wearable devices (child-friendly smartwatches with calling features).
  • School landlines and teacher contacts.

Most issues that arise during the school day can be handled safely without a smartphone.

What if my child needs it for schoolwork?

+

In most cases, tablets or computers at home (used under parental supervision) are sufficient for homework and research. Schools typically do not require smartphones for academic purposes. The pact does not prohibit using technology for learning, but aims to avoid unsupervised and unrestricted use.

Will delaying make my child less 'tech-savvy'?

+

No. Studies show that children are naturally quick to adapt to technology. Learning to code, type, use productivity tools, or navigate educational platforms does not require early exposure to social media or personal smartphones. Delaying smartphones enhances, not hinders, healthy digital literacy.

By signing this pact, I pledge to:

  • Delay giving my child a personal smartphone until at least age 14
  • Delay their use of social media until at least age 16

For more information, questions or to get involved email us directly on Smartphonefreechildhoodbahrain@gmail.com

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  • Sohn et al., (2019) - JAMA Pediatrics
  • Pew Research Center (2018)
  • Twenge et al., (2018) - Int. Journal of Environmental Research
  • Common Sense Media (2019); Ofcom (2022); RSPH (2017)
  • Royal Society for Public Health (2017)
  • Pew Research Center (2018)
  • Twenge et al., (2017) - Clinical Psychological Science
  • Uhls et al., (2014) - Computers in Human Behavior
  • Harvard Medical School (2012)
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