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Raising the first fully digital generation, together.

Sign The Wait Until 9th Grade Pledge
 Kids will always #craft something_ We make it...Who We Are

Village to Raise is a parent-led initiative, not tied to any one school, but united by a shared goal: raising the first fully digital generation with intention. We are not only raising a generation of kids growing up with smart devices, social media, and AI — we are also a new generation of parents, aware of the dangers, reading the data, and the research behind it all. There’s no ancestral wisdom for digital-age parenting. No roadmap. But uniting and learning together is how we find our way. Village to Raise is our response: A space to learn, support one another, and make bold, connected choices to protect childhood in the digital age.
 

Our Mission

 We support families in navigating the unique challenges of raising children in a digital world by: 




Research & Learning

Growing together through research, global practices, and expert guidance.

Partnerships

Collaborating with schools and other educational institutions to foster safer, smarter digital habits for the next generation.

Community

Building a community of tech-conscious parents who share support and insights.

What is the Pledge?

Is an online tool that helps parents agree to delay with others in your community.

The more of us who sign, the more powerful it becomes.

Why should I sign the Pledge?

If we all agree to delay giving our children smartphones, and instead give them brick phones until

at least the end of 8th grade, the peer pressure instantly reduces.
Saying no can feel impossible when you’re acting alone. Acting collectively makes it infinitely easier.

 

Sign the Pledge

What’s the problem with kids and early social media and smartphone access?

When children first started getting smartphones and access to social media a decade ago, there was no research about their impact. Now there is, and it’s overwhelming. Exposing children to things their brains aren’t yet developed enough to deal with can cause a whole host of problems, from triggering anxiety and eating disorders to opening the door to cyberbullying or sexual predators, according to the latest research.

When we give our children access to the whole world in their pockets, we give the whole world access to our children.

 

harmful
Harmful content
Social media and Smartphones act as a gateway to pornography, violent and extreme content. Often kids don’t seek them out but are exposed to them via algorithms and messaging apps. Once seen, these things can never be unseen. 90% of girls and 50% of boys say they’re sent explicit content they didn’t want to see.
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Addiction
Tech companies intentionally make apps addictive, because the more time we spend, the more data they harvest, and the more money they make. By leveraging dopamine circuits, they trigger brain responses akin to slot machine gambling. 1 in 4 young adults shows signs of behavioral addiction to smartphones.Tech companies intentionally make apps addictive, because the more time we spend, the more data they harvest, the more money they make. By leveraging dopamine circuits, they trigger brain responses akin to slot machine gambling.
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Cyberbullying
Disagreements between pupils used to stop at the school gate, now they follow kids wherever they go, 24/7. Young people who experience cyberbullying are twice as likely to attempt suicide and self-harm. One in six teens report being cyberbullied in the past month, according to the World Health Organisation
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Grooming
Sites like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Roblox are used by sexual predators to target children with their first smartphones, blackmailing them into sharing sexual content. Sextortion is now the fastest-growing crime against teens. Since 2022, there has been a 66% rise in ‘self-generated’ sexual abuse imagery of children under 10
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Mental illness
Rates of depression, anxiety and suicide in young people have spiked globally since 2010, when children first began getting smartphones. The first generation to grow up with smartphones are now adults – data shows that the younger they got their first smartphone, the worse their mental health today
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Academic distraction
Disagreements between pupils used to stop at the school gate, now they follow kids wherever they go, 24/7. Young people who experience cyberbullying are twice as likely to attempt suicide and self-harm. One in six teens report being cyberbullied in the past month, according to the World Health Organisation
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Opportunity cost
Underpinning all these harms is one that is potentially the most significant of all. For the first time in human history, children are spending more time on devices than they are playing – an activity crucial to our healthy development. Smartphones are experience blockers, distracting children from engaging in the real world. The average UK 12-year-old now spends 29 hours a week – equivalent to a part-time job – on their smartphone. This leaves little time for the real world activities and relationships that enable us to learn the essential life skills we need to transition into adulthood. The average daily time that teens spend with friends has plummeted by 65% since 2010.
MUST WATCH DOCUMENTARY: We tweet, we like, and we share— but what are the consequences of our growing dependence on social media? This documentary-drama hybrid reveals how social media is reprogramming civilization with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.