Parents Urge Alternatives to Smartphones at Upcoming Device Fair

Two parents came to the mic at Village Hall on October 14 to discuss their initiative to change technology norms in Scarsdale. As founders of IRL NY’s Scarsdale Chapter they are advocating for a tech reset.

Ariana Green explained: “When I worked as an attorney for tech companies, I learned that many Silicon Valley executives opted not to give their own kids devices, or later, social media. What they knew about what was best for their own kids – their brains and their emotions – is what the general population is finally getting to wise to now.

Lisa Berman and I started the Scarsdale chapter of IRL NY because we want to join other communities around the nation in a tech reset.

We are aligned with Scarsdale alum Jonathan Haidt’s widely popular book, The Anxious Generation, which urges parents to come together and support each other in setting new technology norms.

Haidt suggests that families agree to wait until kids are at least 16 for social media. For parents to track and communicate with kids before then, there are now an array of alternative devices designed with kid safety in mind. Most of these are only sold online, but on November 22, we are hosting Scarsdale’s first Alternative Device Fair at the Scarsdale Library, and vendors are flying from throughout the country to allow us to interact directly with the devices, understand their features and ask questions face-to-face. Brands coming include Bark, Gabb, Pinwheel, Troomi, and Lightphone, among others.

Social science research shows that when 25 to 30 percent of a community makes a change, norms can change. If enough families gift their kids alternative devices instead of smartphones, and if we urge people to slow down on iPad text groups and the like, our community can shift. We can help our kids avoid a life on addictive devices and social media for that much longer, as their brains are wiring.

We are inspired by the grassroots movements popping up in towns throughout the country and chose to join our neighbors in bringing IRL to Scarsdale. There are chapters in Rye, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye Neck, and Nyack, with more on the horizon. We are part of the executive committee strategizing for our region, and we are inviting the River Towns, New Rochelle, Yonkers and beyond to join us at our device fair and to join our movement.

I have come to believe that the best thing I can do for my kids – other than trying my hardest in the day-to-day of parenting – is to ignite a local push to meaningfully change how we operate here with respect to tech.

If each of uses our own circle of influence to push for change, fewer of us will have to hear from our kids: “But everyone’s getting phones with social media in sixth grade.” Or if we do hear that line, we can soon confidently tell them: “That’s just not true.”

Lisa Berman outlined additional initiatives the two are working on with school leaders and parent organizations to spread the word. She explained, “We are encouraging families to think critically about when they are giving their kids smartphones and access to social media. Right now, many children in Scarsdale get their first smart phone or watch in elementary school or early middle school. We are interested in pushing back that norm so that more families are waiting until high school or 16 years old to give their children access to social media and smart devices.”

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