Yondr, a pioneer of phone-free spaces, released a groundbreaking new report capturing the sentiment of over 1,000 parents in the UK and the last generation to experience a childhood free of devices on smartphone use. The findings point to a cultural tipping point; parents are not only deeply aware of the problem of pervasive screentime, they’re looking for leadership and action.
“The data confirms what we’re hearing from families across the country, parents are overwhelmed, kids are distracted and everyone is craving a reset,” said Graham Dugoni, Founder and CEO of Yondr. “Phone-free spaces can no longer be considered an optional add-on but are now a baseline requirement expected by parents in their child’s school. It’s clear there’s a growing demand for environments that give children an extended break from their phones, whether at school, at home or in the community.”
A whopping 97% of parents believe reducing phone and social media usage would have at least one major personal positive benefit and 95% say their children would benefit from a break from screens.
Overwhelmingly (84.3%), parents associate their children’s high phone and social media use with negative effects, including distraction (62.2%), anxiety (31.9%) and loneliness (25.5%). Despite these negative impacts, parents report that phone use is creeping into nearly every aspect of daily life from family vacations (88% of children and 91% of parents) to holiday gatherings (85% of children and 82% of parents) to even milestone events like graduations (57% of children and 55% of parents).
The increased attention to their children’s screen time is serving as a wake-up call for parents.
