Schools in Kedington and Steeple Bumpstead, near Haverhill, ask parents to sign up to the Smartphone Free Childhood pledge

Two village primary schools close to Haverhill are asking parents to sign up to a pledge not to give their children a smartphone until they are of secondary school age.

Letters explaining what the Smartphone Free Childhood is and why the schools are supporting it were this week sent to parents by Steeple Bumpstead Primary School and Kedington Primary Academy.

Committing to the pledge – which is a nationwide initiative – is voluntary and does not change the schools’ existing smartphone policy, which requires pupils to hand them in when they arrive at school and collect them when they leave.

Vicky Doherty, executive headteacher at both schools, said she was delighted with the response this week after letters went out to parents.

She said: "I was getting increasingly concerned about the impact of smartphone use on primary age children.

"This could be apps they were going on, websites they are accessing, messages they were sending or receiving, or the time they could spend on phones. I don't think they have the emotional maturity to deal with this.

"I also had a parent message me saying an organisation calling for Smartphone Free Childhoods, with parents agreeing to delay giving their children a smartphone, was gaining momentum.

"So we asked parents in both schools if they would commit to a pledge to say they would not buy their children a smartphone until they go to high school.

"We are not banning phones or telling parents what they have to do. We are just raising awareness of the potential dangers and asking them to seriously consider the implications.

"We want to use our schools as a vehicle to get a collective mass of parents to agree to this and we are delighted with the response and the messages we have received in support of this initiative."

The letter sent to parents says: “More and more research is showing smartphone use negatively impacts children’s mental health, social skills and academic performance.

“As a school, we have first-hand experience of this impact and are increasingly dealing with the fallout from it.”

It also says: “The pledge will only be binding once at least 10 parents from each class have signed up. This ensures at least a third of students in each class will be smartphone-free, reducing the risk of children feeling ostracised.

“Together, we can create a supportive environment for our children to thrive – free from the pressures and distractions of smartphones.”

Emma Connor, who has two daughters at Steeple Bumpstead, in Year 4 and Year 6, said: "We support the initiative as we think primary school-aged children shouldn't be exposed to the likes of social media and other problems that can be linked with smartphones.

"Primary school should be about fun and not feeling pressured into owning a smartphone or checking your phone all the time."