Unplugged Canada PEI

09/03/2026

Thank you to Startphone.info for sharing this basic principle - and for highlighting what has become the ‘spillover effect’ 🙌

*Everyone’s Problem*

“When one child gets a smartphone, it’s completely natural for them to share, show, and talk about what they see. Images and videos spread quickly – even to children without phones – as soon as one friend has access.

What may seem like a personal choice in one family quickly becomes a shared reality for many, especially when the open, adult internet ends up in the hands of curious, unsupervised children who have no way of knowing what the next click might bring.

That’s why we need to talk openly about the spillover effect – and why it’s time to join forces as parents. Very few families have the full, comprehensive technical knowledge to properly set up controls. And let’s be honest: most kids find ways around them anyway.

It’s time to stop treating parental controls as real protection.

Whether you’ve already given your child a smartphone or are choosing to avoid touchscreens altogether, we all care deeply about our children. That is our starting point. And together we can make this work.”

Startphone is a Swedish initiative - but Unplugged Canada is here to support Canadians families.

Together, we CAN normalize delaying smartphones.

Sign the pledge today👇

https://www.unpluggedcanada.com/communitypledge

08/31/2026

YOU have power!

Learn about how you can help change the norm in PEI schools.

Check out Unplugged Canada’s School Champion program today!

It's back to school — and we're ready for you! 🎒

Our 2026/2027 School Champion program supports parents and caregivers in championing the pledge at your child's school — and this year, we're adding even more for our Champions:

☑️ Ready-made templates and talking points
☑️ Tools to connect with your school community
☑️ National and local support groups
☑️ Table kits, where available

We're continuing to refine our program as we go, to make it easier for parents to bring this important conversation to their school and community.

It's going to be a fantastic year for delaying smartphones and social media. Let's change the norm, together!

Fill out the interest form in our bio or head to the resources page on our website to learn more.

08/29/2026

📣 New Brunswick has announced a monumental change in how schools will operate across the province.

“Beginning this September, students from kindergarten to Grade 8 will not be permitted to use their phones or other personal mobile devices at any point during the school day. Those rules will take effect for students in grades 9-12 at the start of the second semester in February 2027.”

Bell-to-bell phone policies must be the standard our province adopts. PEI students and educators deserve nothing less. Do you agree?

Read the full publication here 👇

https://www.gnb.ca/en/news/n-b.2026.08.government-introduces-measures-reduce-classroom-distractions.html

08/28/2026

Yes! 🙌 We want them left out.

For too long, parents have been left to navigate a world of smartphones and social media that arrived faster than any of us could fully understand. Before guardrails were in place, our kids were exposed to the risks.

That’s why these lawsuits matter. Our kids deserve platforms designed with their safety in mind - not products designed to keep them scrolling.

Choosing to delay smartphones and social media isn’t about denying our kids something good. It’s about protecting their childhood, their attention, and their mental health while the adults — lawmakers, schools, and tech companies — catch up.

And it’s easier when we do it together. When more families choose to wait, it helps change the norm and takes some of the pressure off all of us.

If this speaks to you, sign the Unplugged Canada pledge and commit to delaying smartphones for your child. Together, we can make waiting feel normal. We can give our kids more time to grow up before handing over the world in their pockets.

More than 11000 Canadian families have already taken the pledge. Join the growing movement!

Sign the pledge today 👇

https://www.unpluggedcanada.com/communitypledge

"Our message is very clear: we do want them to be left out. We want them to be left out of all the negative impacts of social media."

That's Wait Until 8th dad Mark SooHoo, talking to the BBC this week about Meta's new safety settlement.

We're grateful to see it. As part of an $18 billion settlement with 48 states, Meta is rolling out real changes for teens on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp: a daily two hour limit, hidden like counts, no more autoplay, notifications muted during school hours. It's a sign more people are waking up to what social media can do to kids, and that matters.

But here's what stood out most in the article. Parent after parent described feeling stuck. One Texas mom said it plainly: she won't cut her daughters off from social media because she's afraid they'll be left out by their friends. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't," she said.

That fear of being left out is exactly what keeps so many families from delaying the phone in the first place. And it's exactly what Mark's quote flips on its head. Being "left out" of the algorithms, the comparison, the pressure to perform online isn't a loss. It's the point.

App updates can help around the edges. But the real protection happens before the phone ever shows up, when parents decide together to wait.

That's the whole idea behind Wait Until 8th: a pledge, a community, and a commonsense way to delay the smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade.

"A communal problem requires a communal solution." — Mark SooHoo

Read the full BBC piece 'Not Far Enough, US Parents and teens on Meta's New Limits', and if you haven't yet, join the thousands of families who've already signed the pledge.

08/25/2026

📕 Check out Unplugged Canada’s School Champion Playbook!

08/24/2026

A play-filled childhood can return if our communities make it possible ❤️

Check out Kevin Stinehart’s Substack 👇

https://kevinstinehart.substack.com/p/we-keep-telling-kids-to-go-outside?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

08/21/2026

September 16th - register now!

New school year. New norm!

We're teaming up — Unplugged Canada and Dr. Alison Yeung, Family Physician — for a free webinar.

We'll cover:

- The current research on smartphones, social media & youth well-being
- Why delaying together changes the norm
- Unplugged Canada resources and programs for your community

75 minutes, with an optional 15-minute live Q&A at the end.

📅 September 16, 2026
4:30–6:00 PM PT | 7:30–9:00 PM ET
Free & online

Know a caregiver or educator who'd want to be there too? Tag them below or share this post.

Register now — link in bio, or on our website at unpluggedcanada.com.

08/20/2026

If you think our kids deserve a school day free from smartphones - from the first bell to last - check out the FREE Administrator’s Toolkit from Phone-Free Schools Movement Canada and share it with your child’s school.👇

When people think about bell-to-bell phone-free schools, they often think it's just about changing the rules.

We see it as an opportunity to RESET School Culture.

Reconnect is the first foundation because human connection is essential for health, well-being, and learning.

School is about much more than academic achievement. It's where students build friendships, strengthen relationships with trusted adults, develop a sense of community, and discover where they belong.

In a world where so much of students' attention is drawn to personal devices, schools are uniquely positioned to protect and prioritize the everyday moments of connection. Bell-to-bell phone-free schools help make that possible.

Changing the rules is a critical step. Building a culture of connection and community is what makes the difference.

Our Canadian Administrator Toolkit helps schools turn policy into practice.

📘 Download your free Canadian Administrator Toolkit: link in bio.

08/18/2026

Phone-free schools are about much more than putting phones away.

They're an opportunity to RESET school culture.

When schools move beyond policy to practice, they create space to:

🤝 Reconnect with one another.
💡 Educate students, families, and staff to better understand today's digital world.
🛡️ Support young people with clear expectations and consistent guardrails.
⚡ Empower students to use technology intentionally.
🌱 Transform school culture—one small, consistent step at a time.

Our new Canadian Phone-Free Schools Administrator Toolkit provides the roadmap, resources, and practical tools to help schools build this kind of environment.

📘 Request your free copy now: link in bio or visit phonefreeschoolsmovement.org/canada

📵 Protect attention.
🤝 Strengthen connection.
📚 Support learning.

08/14/2026

YOU can help grow the movement in PEI!

📌 Print and post a flyer if you can!