Phone Free February: Growing Up Smartphone-Free in the Netherlands

My child is five and last week she asked me to put mine away.

That moment changed how I think about smartphones and childhood.

This episode is part of Phone Free February — a global campaign encouraging families to reduce or delay smartphone use. But here in the Netherlands, something even bigger is happening.

The grassroots movement Smartphonevrij Opgroeien (Growing Up Smartphone-Free - originally from the UK) began with Dutch parents who saw what the UK were doing and felt early smartphone access didn’t sit right. Today, more families are choosing to delay smartphones until group 8 (around age 12), and there is growing national debate about banning smartphones in schools all day.

Across Europe, experts are recommending waiting until 15 for social media access.

GPs and youth care workers are reporting increases in sleep disruption, anxiety, low self-esteem, and concentration challenges linked to smartphone use in children.

This episode brings the Dutch movement into English — because if your child is growing up in the Netherlands, this affects you too.

Inside this episode:
• What Smartphonevrij Opgroeien actually means
• Why parents are signing up — even with babies and toddlers
• What the research says about early smartphone use
• How to join the WhatsApp groups (including English-speaking parents)
• How to delay without isolating your child

This isn’t anti-technology.

It’s pro-childhood.

And it starts long before your child asks for their first phone.

Links to support you:

Want to join the Whatsapp group in your area? ⁠CLICK HERE⁠

Want to join the Whatsapp group for English speakers: ⁠CLICK HERE⁠ - (in select jouw regio - scroll to bottom for ENGLISH)

If you want to check out your own school (or chosen school)

⁠CLICK HERE⁠ on your region

Click on the image of a school - Bekijk hoeveel ouders....

From there it will show you the number of students and schools, with the list of cities underneath.

Click into the city and you will get a breakdown of each school registered and keep clicking.. It gets more and more interesting! You will see how many kids in your school, and even by which groep they are in.

If you want the read the materials related to the ⁠UK website CLICK HERE