We are a Smartphone Free School

In June 2025, Tidbury Green School, was recognised by the Smartphone Free Schools Rating website as GOLD in recognition of our commitment to being a smartphone free school site. 

We’re not anti-tech, we’re pro-childhood!

We recognise that technology has immense benefits. Young people should be able to enjoy the opportunities it creates – when they’re ready and when it’s safe to do so.

Childhood is precious and fleeting. All children should have the opportunity to learn, develop and grow free from the addictive-by-design algorithms and age-inappropriate content of social media and smartphones.

The Smartphone Free Childhood Movement recommends that if parents want to give their child a phone, that they give their child a simple phone instead of a smartphone until the end of Year 9 (at the earliest). That means you can keep in touch when they’re out and about using calls and texts, without any of the harms associated with smartphones and social media.

When children want to use the internet, we recommend that they do so on a shared family computer. This way they can get acquainted with the digital world and stay connected to their friends without the temptation of having it in their pocket 24/7.

Supporting Our Children's Wellbeing Together

At Tidbury Green, we believe that children deserve to be free from the pressures and risks associated with smartphones and social media. 

One of the biggest challenges parents face is peer pressure – both for themselves and their children. Many parents feel forced to give their child a smartphone simply because “everyone else has one.” The Parent Pact helps remove this pressure by creating a unified community approach.

Today, 94% of primary school parents think smartphones are harmful. Yet 90% of children have smartphones by year 7. This happens because the social pressure becomes unbearable once the majority of children have smartphones in a class.

Many of our families have already signed a Parent Pact pledging not to give their children smartphones before the age of 14 and to delay access to social media until 16. If you'd like to join them you can do so here.

This initiative is part of the national Smartphone Free Childhood movement. This has been developed to ensure children can grow, play, and develop without the negative effects of digital distractions.

Tidbury Green to Become a Smartphone-Free School from September 2025

Starting in September, we will implement a smartphone-free policy. As part of this initiative, students will not be permitted to bring smartphones into school or on to the school site. We believe this approach will support parents who wish to delay the purchase of such devices and will help reinforce a consistent and unified message between home and school. We appreciate your support in promoting a focused and healthy learning environment for all our pupils.

 Why is this so important?

More and more scientific research is backing up parental experience to show that early smartphone and social media exposure can be harmful to children. Some of the biggest concerns include:

• Mental Health Impact – Studies show that children who spend more time on social media are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.
• Addictive Nature – Social media apps are designed to be highly addictive, with children spending an average of 4 hours per day on their phones by age 12.
• Exposure to Harmful Content – Research shows that 40% of children are exposed to inappropriate content within a week of joining social media.
• Reduced Sleep and Focus – Screen time before bed significantly reduces sleep quality, with studies linking smartphone use to an increase in attention difficulties.
• Cyberbullying – Over 60% of teenagers report experiencing cyberbullying, with younger children being particularly vulnerable.

Here are some excellent sources for more information around this:

• An excellent 12 minute video from Papaya Parenting
• A half hour summary of the leading book on the subject, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt 
• An excellent and entertaining documentary called “Swiped” on Channel 4