Stamford parents attend smartphone workshops as part of Cyberwise campaign

More than 200 parents took part in a series of workshops to help them navigate the pitfalls of smartphones.

Educators from The Conversation Stamford have hosted interactive sessions at primary schools across the town during the past few weeks.

They are concerned that smartphones reduce attention span, academic performance and the quality and quantity of sleep, expose children to harmful content and discourage interaction with other people.

The parent workshops were part of an ongoing Cyberwise campaign which seeks to highlight the issues of smartphone use among young people and promote a parenting pledge to limit their use.

The pledge asks parents to commit to three things - no smartphones for primary aged children, no social media for under 13s and the use of parental controls until the age of 16.

Director Gemma Holbird said: “We had about 220 parents signed up to attend the workshops and the response has been really encouraging. We've had some great conversations with parents.”

So far the campaign has focused on Stamford but the team hopes to branch out into the surrounding area during the next few months.

One parent who attended said: “This really eye-opening session gave lots of helpful and relevant advice. It helped me to understand the practical actions I can personally take to protect the mental health of my children from the impact of smartphone use.”

Another added: “It's a terrifying world our children are growing up in and we need all the help we can get.”

Anyone who was unable to attend can watch an abridged version of the presentation and access a downloadable information pack at www.theconversationstamford.co.uk

There is also a link to sign the parent pledge.