Smartphone Free Childhood US Launches New Public Service Announcement: “Let’s Change The Norm”
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smartphone Free Childhood US (SFCxUS), a grassroots movement of parent advocates, today announced the release of its powerful new Public Service Announcement (PSA), titled “Let’s Change The Norm.” The PSA highlights the immense pressures and responsibilities placed on children by smartphones and social media, advocating for a return to a childhood rich in play, relationships and real-world experiences.
“It’s not a fair fight. These products are designed to be addictive and are stealing childhood,” said Kim Whitman, SFCxUS co-lead and mother of two. “Through a playful yet pointed lens, this PSA shows how access to phones and social media inappropriately places grown-up responsibilities on children.”
Written and directed by Tim Mason and produced by Tessa Films, “Let’s Change The Norm” emphasizes that smartphones and social media impose adult-sized responsibilities on children who are not yet ready to manage constant notifications, online bullying, addictive algorithms and harmful content such as cyberbullying, hackers and sextortion.
"Despite serious concerns about online dangers and youth mental health, the lack of age verification on websites and social media means it's up to parents to keep kids and teens safe online,” said Jean Twenge, author of 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World and Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University. “That's a daunting task, but a necessary and important one. The good news: Parents can work together to delay smartphones and social media for their kids. That's why I'm so excited that Smartphone Free Childhood is growing in the U.S."
The new PSA underscores the organization’s core message: Childhood is too precious to be spent on a screen. Behind the humor of the PSA lies a serious truth: Research consistently links excessive smartphone use in youth to increased anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, fragmented attention spans, exposure to harmful content and underdeveloped social skills.
Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, documents the staggering increases since 2010 in clinical diagnoses of anxiety (134%); depression (106%); anorexia (100%); and substance abuse and addiction (33%).
"In The Anxious Generation, I explain how we are trapped in ‘collective action problems’ and how individuals must organize and act together to overcome them,” said Haidt, who, in addition to authoring The Anxious Generation, is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “Smartphone Free Childhood US is doing just that. They are a network of advocates that provide the support and resources for parents to take action within their local communities and states to reclaim childhood.
Smartphone Free Childhood US urges parents and communities to engage in conversations about delaying smartphones and to connect with like-minded individuals to foster a supportive environment. The organization stresses that delaying access allows a child’s brain to mature, promoting stronger focus, healthier sleep and more face-to-face connection.
“So many parents feel pressured to give their kids smartphones and social media earlier than they’d like because they don’t want their child to feel left out,” said Jodi Carreon, a member of the SFCxUS Leadership Council and mom of two. “We’re here to support parents in their decision to delay access and to reassure them that there is a growing movement of parents making this choice along with them.”
The PSA’s release is accompanied by a call to action for parents to join the movement at smartphonefreechildhoodus.com. Follow SFCxUS on Instagram and Facebook.
About Smartphone Free Childhood US:
Smartphone Free Childhood US is a parent-led movement dedicated to making phone-free childhoods the norm. By delaying smartphones and social media, children have the time and space to develop the essential skills to thrive as adults, while also building stronger relationships and experiencing a healthier, more enriching childhood.
Smartphone Free Childhood US jodilcarreon@gmail.com
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