Dear Parents,

After the groundswell of support received my drive mobile phones, social media and, more recently,  my drive to promote the limited use of iPads and screens at school, I am writing to ask you to go further.

In line with expert advice and common sense, I am seeking to dissuade parents from buying their children smart phones before they are sixteen.

It is obvious to me that many of you are reluctant to take a stand against smart phones for fear your child will be deprived and singled out. There are so many of you who feel the same way, that it is  no less obvious that what is lacking is communication and coordination.

What I propose is that you sign an anonymous Parent Pact, giving an undertaking not to buy your child a smart phone at least until they are in Year 12.

If your child already has a smart phone, why not change it for a dumb phone with no internet connection and then sign the Parent Pact?

There will be a live percentage of signatures per Year group published on the school web. The display will be completely anonymous—no names or personal data will be shown—just the percentage of families who’ve joined in each year (please note that only one parent should sign for each child). This will hopefully help encourage more families to participate and give our children the reassurance that they are not alone.

Best wishes,