Events & Media

Nurturing Childhood in the Smartphone Era

Date: January 16th, 2025 @ 6:30pm ADT

Location: Hammonds Plains Consolidated School in Nova Scotia or livestream

Registration: Zoom link

Event Summary: Come join us for a special FREE event put on by Unplugged Canada’s Nova Scotia Chapter, focusing on nurturing childhood in today’s smartphone era.

In a hyper-connected world, parents find themselves in a challenging situation managing their kids’ relationship with technology. In this session, you will learn about the latest research regarding the impact of devices, including smartphones and social media, on children’s development. Learn how delaying smartphones can protect your child’s mental health and discover ways to create a healthy balance between technology and real-life experiences for your kids.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with other parents in your community and navigate this together.

A Smartphone-fee Childhood Parent Session

Date: January 23rd, 2025 @ 6:30pm (MST)

Location: Sturgeon Heights School Gym

Registration: Link

Event Summary: The St. Albert Chapter of Unplugged Canada invites parents to an in-person session featuring Tania Johnson, co-founder of the Institute of Child Psychology, and other local experts.

This session will:

• Review the latest research on the risks of early smartphone and social media use
• Discuss local trends in youth social media behavior
• Explore the impact of smartphones on student learning and career readiness

Unplugged St. Albert will share resources and explain how the Unplugged Canada Pledge can connect families who choose to delay smartphone and social media use, fostering a local community of support and encouragement.

Unplugged Canada official launch

To build on the groundswell of support we received, Unplugged Canada hosted an in-person speaker session for Vancouver families. It took place on Saturday 14th from 4:30pm until 6:30pm PST at the Kay Meek Arts Centre in West Vancouver, BC.

Our panel of experts led discussions and offered practical advice on how to approach this topic with your children and other community members.

Our special guest was Brooke Shannon, Founder of “Wait Until 8th” in the USA.

Other guests included:

• Carol Todd, who has impacted the world as an educator, an advocate, and a leader for social action in speaking openly about the bullying, cyberbullying, exploitation, and the mental health challenges that Amanda, her daughter, went through.
• Sharon Selby – a Registered Clinical Counsellor
• Grace Yu – a pediatrician in British Columbia
• Margot Denomme – former Crown Attorney and founder of RAAD (“Raising Awareness about Digital Dangers”).

CBC News – Edmonton

September 21st, 2024

Canadian parents are pledging to delay getting their kids smartphones

In this interview with Emily William, a reporter at CBC, Unplugged Canada—an initiative inspired by the U.S. Wait Until 8th program—urged parents to delay giving their children smartphones until age 14. The movement highlights concerns about the connection between early smartphone use and mental health issues in adolescents, including increased anxiety and depression, as explored in Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation. By postponing smartphone access, the initiative aimed to foster healthier childhood development and minimize exposure to online risks.

Columnists from CBC Radio

September 25th, 2024

Who’s taking the smartphone pledge?

CBC’s Blair Sanderson explored what motivated parents to sign up for the initiative, which aims to promote healthier childhood development and reduce the risks associated with early smartphone use.

Unplugged Canada Webinar

November 27th, 2024

Webinar

Unplugged Canada hosted an awareness webinar on November 27th, 2024, featuring guest speaker Tania Johnson, Co-founder of the Institute of Child Psychology. Our webinars aim to empower parents with insights and information, enabling them to make informed choices.

CBC Nova Scotia

December 11th, 2024

Campaign urges parents to delay smartphones

Our Unplugged Canada Nova Scotia chapter was interviewed by CBC News to raise awareness and help create a collective action movement to empower parents to delay smartphones.

CBC Maritime Connection

December 15th, 2024

When did you give your child a smart phone? and why?

Discussion with Preston Mulligan on the Sunday’s Maritime Connection about delaying smartphones and Unplugged Canada’s mission to unite parents.