The Smartphone Free Childhood Movement

Sunday Papers Live - Health Section

97 per cent of 12 years olds own a mobile phone. In a few short months the "Smartphone Free Childhood" has swept the country, and recruited tens of thousands of worried parents who are ready to change that. Technology writer Jamie Bartlett interviews Smartphone Free Childhood co-founder Clare Fernyhough about what smartphones are doing to kids, what we can do to fix it, and where next in the global fightback against smartphone addiction.

Jamie Bartlett is a technology writer and podcaster. He is best known for his books The Dark Net and The People Versus Tech. He wrote and presented the BBC's The Missing Cryptoqueen, The Gatekeepers, and Believe in Magic podcasts. His substack newsletter is called How To Survive the Internet.

Clare Fernyhough is a business psychologist with a background in broadcast journalism at ITN and Channel 4. In her current role she specialises in Diversity and Inclusion - using Psychology to help make the world of work fairer. In 2024, Clare co-founded The Smartphone Free Childhood movement.