Smartphone Free Childhood is a grassroots movement bringing parents together to stand up for healthier, happier childhoods
Founded in February 2024 after one WhatApp group went viral, we’re now a community of over 150,000 parents working together to change the culture around kids and smartphones.
We’ve made it our mission to provide solidarity, support and solutions to parents who are struggling with what’s become one of the defining parenting challenges of our time.
And we’re using the voice of our community to push for more support from the government in the battle to reclaim childhood from Big Tech’s addictive algorithms and devices.
We’ve made it our mission to provide solidarity, support and solutions to parents who are struggling with what’s become one of the defining parenting challenges of our time.
And we’re using the voice of our community to push for more support from the government in the battle to reclaim childhood from Big Tech’s addictive algorithms and devices.
OUR MISSION
We’re determined to use the growing groundswell of support for this movement to create lasting change for children. We’ll do it by:
OUR IMPACT
The momentum behind this movement since February proves how much this issue matters to so many. And we’re just getting started.
🚀 80,000+ children signed up to Parent Pacts to delay until 14
✍️ Parent Pacts signed in over a third of schools in UK
🇬🇧 Thriving SFC WhatsApp communities throughout Britain
🌟 150+ engaged Regional Leaders across the UK
🏛️ Influential in the development of the Safer Phones Bill
🏫 Hundreds of schools inspired to go smartphone-free
🤙 Supporting manufacturers to develop alternative phones
🌍︎ Global SFC offshoots launched in over 20 countries
🚀 80,000+ children signed up to Parent Pacts to delay until 14
✍️ Parent Pacts signed in over a third of schools in UK
🇬🇧 Thriving SFC WhatsApp communities throughout Britain
🌟 150+ engaged Regional Leaders across the UK
🏛️ Influential in the development of the Safer Phones Bill
🏫 Hundreds of schools inspired to go smartphone-free
🤙 Supporting manufacturers to develop alternative phones
🌍︎ Global SFC offshoots launched in over 20 countries
OUR TEAM
Daisy Greenwell
Co-founder & Director
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An experienced journalist, Daisy spent a decade at The Times and edited the renowned constructive journalism magazine Positive News. She brings her journalistic talents and framing expertise to SFC, where she’s responsible for communications and campaigns, as chief rabble rouser for the movement.
An experienced journalist, Daisy spent a decade at The Times and edited the renowned constructive journalism magazine Positive News. She brings her journalistic talents and framing expertise to SFC, where she’s responsible for communications and campaigns, as chief rabble rouser for the movement.
Joe Ryrie
Co-founder & Director
Co-founder & Director
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Prior to SFC Joe spent ten years running his own branding agency, where he helped early stage consumer businesses and charities define, launch and grow their brands. He oversees SFC’s strategy, brand and operations, a role he describes as ‘figuring out how to turn a viral thing into an actual thing’.
Prior to SFC Joe spent ten years running his own branding agency, where he helped early stage consumer businesses and charities define, launch and grow their brands. He oversees SFC’s strategy, brand and operations, a role he describes as ‘figuring out how to turn a viral thing into an actual thing’.
Clare Fernyhough
Co-founder & Schools Lead
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Clare is a business psychologist with a background in broadcast journalism at ITN and Channel 4, who now specialises in creating behaviour change in organisations. At SFC she is leading the charge to inspire all school leaders to make their schools genuinely smartphone free.
Clare is a business psychologist with a background in broadcast journalism at ITN and Channel 4, who now specialises in creating behaviour change in organisations. At SFC she is leading the charge to inspire all school leaders to make their schools genuinely smartphone free.
Nancy Waters
Head of Operations
Head of Operations
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Nancy’s experience covers creative, operational and content roles, including as the editor of renowned fashion magazine Another. She brings her organisational superpowers and creative eye to SFC, developing and managing the systems and processes that underpin all our work.
Nancy’s experience covers creative, operational and content roles, including as the editor of renowned fashion magazine Another. She brings her organisational superpowers and creative eye to SFC, developing and managing the systems and processes that underpin all our work.
Joe Smith
Head of Design
Head of Design
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Joe is a creative powerhouse with senior experience working as a designer, illustrator, animator and creative director across digital, motion and print for a plethora of high profile brands. Since day one he’s been responsible for all of SFC’s sparkling visual design and creative output.
Joe is a creative powerhouse with senior experience working as a designer, illustrator, animator and creative director across digital, motion and print for a plethora of high profile brands. Since day one he’s been responsible for all of SFC’s sparkling visual design and creative output.
OUR STORY
At the start of 2024 friends Daisy and Clare set up a WhatsApp group to support each other in the decision to hold off on buying their kids smartphones. To their amazement, thousands of other parents joined the group after a heartfelt Instagram post by Daisy went viral.
After that first group maxed out, hundreds of Smartphone Free Childhood WhatsApp groups started all over the UK, and it became clear that parents across the country – and all over the world – were desperate for solidarity and support.
Within weeks, Daisy and her husband Joe had quit their jobs to double down on turning Smartphone Free Childhood into a campaigning organisation that could provide solidarity and support for parents struggling with this new frontier of parenting .
After that first group maxed out, hundreds of Smartphone Free Childhood WhatsApp groups started all over the UK, and it became clear that parents across the country – and all over the world – were desperate for solidarity and support.
Within weeks, Daisy and her husband Joe had quit their jobs to double down on turning Smartphone Free Childhood into a campaigning organisation that could provide solidarity and support for parents struggling with this new frontier of parenting .