About Us

The SFC-SA  dream, born around kitchen tables, through late night meetings and voice notes,
has since grown into a registered nonprofit company.

A Bold Vision by Passionate Parents

In early 2024, a group of passionate and deeply concerned South African parents came together, driven by one shared concern  – the detrimental impact of excessive and age inappropriate screen time on children’s wellbeing. What started as a few conversations quickly turned into a movement. These change makers turned their concern into action, launching Smartphone Free Childhood with a bold vision: to support parents to delay smartphones and social media, encourage schools to become smartphone free and safeguard Ed Tech, and work with regulators for better policy and regulations to protect childhood.

Within days of launching a small WhatsApp support group for parents struggling to manage children on screens, the response was so overwhelming that we had to expand – fast. What began as one group grew into a national WhatsApp community network, with over 1,000 parents joining in the first week alone. Today we are 4000+ strong!

SFC-SA was officially launched at two live-streamed events screened country-wide aptly named “Press Pause, Go Play”. These powerful events offered valuable insights for families looking to  reconnect offline, and showed just how ready South Africa was for change. We introduced the Parent Pact, to enable primary school parents to collectively pledge to delay giving children access to smartphones. It’s difficult for one family to do it alone, but together we are stronger!

Launched in early 2025, the Smartphone Free School Register offers schools an opportunity to showcase their commitment to learner well-being, and parents a clear view of which schools are taking a progressive stand against the distraction and digital drama that personal smart devices bring onto campus.

The Goal

To grow  the movement, access funding to stay sustainable, and partner with strategic allies to scale our impact. We’re building a better future for our children. One conversation, one parent, one school, one policy at a time.

Our Vision

We believe in protecting childhood by delaying smartphones and social media access, and encouraging smartphone free schools, supporting fair and equal access to safeguarded digital learning where it’s needed.

Imagine a world where: 

  • Childhood is about play, friendships, and real experiences unfiltered by social media.
  • Schools are distraction-free zones where students focus and thrive.
  • Social media is age restrictioned by law to protect young minds, values and beliefs.
  • EdTech is used wisely and responsibly, enhancing education without burdening parents.

Our Mission

We are on a mission to shift the societal norms around the acceptable use of smartphones and access to social media in childhood and aim to encourage mindful slow-tech, low-tech decisions that ensure a balanced and healthy childhood. SFC-SA is founded on Dr Jonathan Haidt’s proposed new norms for childhood in the digital age:

Dr. Jonathan Haidt

  • Delay smartphones until high school.
  • Delay social media until 16.
  • Promote smartphone free schools across South Africa.
  • Encourage more responsibility, engagement and free play in the real world.
  • Promote digital safeguarding and limited, mindful use of EdTech in the classroom.

We Achieve This By

Connecting & Empowering Parents

to press pause on smartphones and social media use for kids.

Supporting & Encouraging Schools

to make the academic day smartphone free; manage the integration of EdTech carefully and mindfully, apply digital safeguarding best practices.

Upskilling Parents

on their knowledge of how children are engaging with technology and the dangers it poses.

Engaging and Working with Regulators

and law makers to support the delay of smartphones for children by implementing legislation setting minimum age restrictions for social media platforms; enforce smartphone free schools; and clarify requirements for the digital safeguarding of EdTech.