Wonderful to see Henry Oliver let rip!

When schools go phone free, this is what always seems to happen: Kids spend far more time talking to each other, playing, and laughing. School is more fun, and, as a side benefit, they learn more.

Let's make all schools phone free next fall.

The parents' revolution has begun in the UK. Parents are rising up to take collective action for a smartphone free childhood. It will happen in many other countries by the end of this year:

afterbabel.com/p/the-revoluti…

Has Britain followed the same terrible trajectory as America: loss of play-based childhood, rise of phone-based, decline of mental health? Yes.
Please see this Google doc, where we assemble all the evidence on both sides. I'm in London this week, would love input from UK…

Netflix in the toilets, no play and little socialising: a dystopian future, or the stark reality of British schools?

🎧 The Story podcast: Manveen Rana speaks to Helen Rumbelow on the astounding results of a school effectively banning smartphones ⬇️

🔗: pod.fo/e/233d3a

Excellent encapsulation of the issue, and what we can do about it, from Jennifer Powers

conservativehome.com/2024/04/23/jen…

Great interview by Louisa Clarence-Smith of Sophie Winkleman, who has been consistently ahead of the curve on the dangers of overeliance on tech in schools.
telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/1…

Meta putting profit first by reducing WhatsApp minimum age shows why we can’t leave it to tech companies to make the internet an appropriate, safe space for children.
Nick Clegg please reinstate AND ENFORCE the 16 yo minimum age requirement for WhatsApp
#smartphonefreechildhood

Nick Clegg please reinstate - and enforce- the 16 yo minimum age requirement for WhatsApp.
#smartphonefreechildhood
thetimes.co.uk/article/whatsa…

'91% of children in the UK own a smartphone by the time they are 11 and 44% by the time they are nine.'

NINE years of age.

theguardian.com/technology/202…

My contentious Conversation with Jonathan Haidt, conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/jonat…, #socialmedia

OpenAI released a Music Video with Sora
it's puzzling i dont think ive ever seen anything quite like this before

Top teacher CPD:

heritageschool.org.uk/information-fo…

Jonathan Haidt Waterstones delaysmartphones.org.uk is causing waves, we have had enough. Big tech are indifferent, politicians have put it in the 'too difficult box'. UK parents are joining together to try and end the appalling situation for our children, that you have done so much to highlight

There's so much action in the UK by parents who are fed up with the phone-based childhood. The Anxious Generation comes out March 26. Will give a lot of support.

UK readers can get £5 off by pre-ordering Waterstones with the code: haidt5

waterstones.com/book/the-anxio…

We have overprotected our children in the real world while underprotecting them online. Play researcher Mariana Brussoni explains why this is a risky way to raise children.

We must give children the time, space, and freedom to engage in risky play. At AfterBabel.com…

There have been some wonderful responses to Second Act: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Success and Reinventing Your Life so far from early readers. Here are my favourites. If you are interested Second Act, you can pre-order it today 😀

“Henry Oliver is a rare talent:…

Didn’t know that Geoffrey Hinton attended Clifton College in Bristol - a very charming school. Thanks Henry Oliver for the prompt.

£1000 in prizes for essays on education with a focus on alternative ideas and a section for youth entries thanks to the munificence of Benjamin Yeoh

More here:

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

#homeschool

New guidance on Mobile phones in schools drops today. I had some input onto this, and I think it’s really solid advice and direction. I go to a lot of schools, and phones are a really big problem in lots of them. gov.uk/government/pub…