It Takes A Village: Greystones-Delgany

26/05/2026

Thank you Aubrey Mc Carthy

21/05/2026

Thank you Jennifer Whitmore TD and Greystones Guide

And hang out with McCarthy & Whitmore…

20/05/2026

Today, It Takes a Village was proudly presented at Leinster House by founder Rachel Harper, hosted by Senator Aubrey Mc Carthy

The presentation reflected on the journey of the initiative over the past three years: a community-led movement supporting children’s wellbeing, digital awareness, and healthier childhood experiences across Greystones and Delgany.

Rachel shared the impact of collaboration between schools, parents, educators and the wider community, while also introducing the proposed It Takes a Village Flag initiative as the next stage of the programme.

A particularly special part of the day was when the children from St. Patrick’s National School got an opportunity to share what the initiative meant to them and some of their learnings. Alizia Gisler, 6th Class teacher and also mum of two students taking part in the initiative, spoke about the benefits she is seeing both as a teacher and as a mum.

The students had the opportunity to visit both the Dáil and Seanad chambers, and were thrilled to receive a special mention in both. They witnessed Senator Aubrey speak about the ITAV initiative at the Seanad, and in the Dail they also got a special mention and a wave from the Taoiseach and TDs during session, a moment they will not forget.

Thank you to Senator Aubrey McCarthy for hosting today’s event and for supporting our initiative today and always.

19/05/2026

Some free, creative events are available in Greystones and surrounding areas as part of this years Cruinniú na nÓg Wicklow County Council Library Service

12/05/2026

If you’re a parent trying to choose a parental control app in the UK, here’s a comparison of the main options:

I've included what they’re actually good at, and where they fall short.

🛡️ Qustodio
💰 £43.95–£75.95/year

✅ Pros:
✔️ One of the most comprehensive tools available (screen time, app blocking, web filtering, location)
✔️ Strong reporting and activity tracking across devices
✔️ Works across iOS, Android, Windows, Chromebook

❗ Cons:
✖️ Social media monitoring is relatively weak compared to competitors
✖️ More expensive than simpler tools

👉 Best for: Parents who want full visibility and control

🚨 Bark
💰 ~£80/year

✅ Pros:
✔️ Scans messages, images and apps for 29+ risks (bullying, grooming, self-harm)
✔️ Sends alerts instead of constant monitoring (supports trust)
✔️ Strong coverage of social platforms (especially on Android)

❗ Cons:
✖️ Some features limited outside the US
✖️ Doesn’t give full visibility of conversations/history

👉 Best for: Parents of teens using social media

🌐 Norton Family
💰 ~£30/year

✅ Pros:
✔️ Excellent web filtering with lots of predefined categories
✔️ Simple, reliable, and affordable
✔️ Good for managing schoolwork and safe browsing

❗ Cons:
✖️ No monitoring of calls, texts, or social media
✖️ Limited functionality on iOS devices

👉 Best for: Younger children and basic protection

⚠️ Net Nanny
💰 ~£30–£70/year

✅ Pros:
✔️ Industry-leading real-time content filtering (very accurate)
✔️ Blocks harmful content as it appears, not just from lists
✔️ Easy to set up and use

❗ Cons:
✖️ Limited social media monitoring
✖️ Reporting and insights less detailed than competitors

👉 Best for: Parents worried about exposure to harmful content

📱 Google Family Link
💰 Free

✅ Pros:
✔️ Strong app controls and screen time management
✔️ Works seamlessly with Android and Google services
✔️ Easy starting point for parents

❗ Cons:
✖️ Limited web filtering and monitoring compared to paid apps
✖️ No advanced insights (messages, social media, detailed reports)

👉 Best for: Parents who want a simple, no-cost starting point

No app does everything. Education and conversations matter most.

But doing nothing? That’s the biggest risk of all.





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🗣️ Hi, I’m Amit. I educate and upskill parents and professionals on the risks children face online, delivering sessions and training through organisations and schools.

✉️ Sign up to my newsletter for regular advice on digital parenting: https://forworkingparents.com/resources/

08/05/2026

It Takes a Village continues to spark important conversations internationally.

We’re very proud to see our initiative featured in La Repubblica (Italy) la Repubblica following journalist Antonello Guerrera’s visit to Greystones, St. Patrick’s National School and our wider community.

The article describes It Takes a Village as “a successful community project” built through schools, parents and local collaboration, while also sharing children’s reflections on life without smartphones, including: “We see our friends more and talk better without phones.”

Thank you, Antonello, for the visit and for taking the time to understand and share the story behind ITAV.



https://www.repubblica.it/venerdi/2026/05/07/news/greystones_irlanda_bambini_senza_cellulare-425330139/

08/05/2026

Ireland will go it alone if agreement is not reached at EU level to ban social media for children under 16, the Minister for Communications has said.

05/05/2026

"Indeed, a side effect of spending so much time online is that they don’t spend enough time offline, doing ‘traditional’ things teens have done in the past, like getting a part-time job or learning how to drive.

Lurie reports seeing ‘unprecedented’ levels of social anxiety among teens, some of whom want to limit their smartphone use, yet are afraid of the social repercussions."

Parents should be happy that teens are choosing not to experiment with substances like alcohol and drugs, but there is another new threat to consider.

03/05/2026

The reach of It Takes a Village continues to grow, both nationally and internationally.

A couple of weeks ago, Rachel Harper sat down with French journalist Lucile Coppalle to share the story of our initiative and the impact it has had over the past three years. We are delighted to see this conversation now featured in two articles across Belgium and France:

https://www.ouest-france.fr/europe/irlande/ils-peuvent-telephoner-a-leurs-parents-dans-mon-magasin-dans-cette-ville-dirlande-des-enfants-prives-de-portable-d12fe0d2-3cbc-11f1-8bbb-e709d18a25b1

https://www.lesoir.be/743189/article/2026-04-26/comment-un-village-irlandais-quasi-banni-les-smartphones-pour-les-enfants

Thank you, Lucile, for capturing the spirit and impact of this work.

Pour lutter contre la montée de l’anxiété chez les jeunes, une ville irlandaise a réussi à fédérer écoles, parents et commerçants autour d’un projet commun : pas de téléphone pour les moins de 13 ans. Un modèle qui intrigue alors que l’Irlande s’apprête à prendre la tête du Co...