As smartphones become increasingly prevalent among younger children, a growing movement in Bucks County is helping parents swim against the tide. Local chapters of Wait Until 8th, a national initiative encouraging families to delay smartphone access until at least eighth grade, are gaining momentum across Central Bucks, Council Rock, and Pennridge school districts.

“Smartphones are distracting and potentially dangerous for children yet are widespread in elementary and middle school because of unrealistic social pressure and expectations to have one,” the Wait Until 8th Organization’s website reads. “These devices are quickly changing childhood for children. Playing outdoors, spending time with friends, reading books and hanging out with family is happening a lot less to make room for hours of snap chatting, instagramming, and catching up on YouTube.”

The pressure to provide children with smartphones is particularly intense in Bucks County’s affluent suburban communities, where keeping up with the latest technology often feels like a requirement rather than a choice. However, local parent groups and educational organizations are working together to create a supportive environment for families choosing to delay smartphone access.

“Central Bucks School District is the third largest school district in the state of PA and we felt like if we could start to spread the word of delaying smartphones and social media here, it would be a great start,” said Wait Until 8th Central Bucks leaders Kirstin McGowan, Jennifer McFarlane, and Dr. Megan Maynard in a recent interview.  “Now there is a local chapter in Wissahickon and the Colonial School Districts.”

McGowan, a mom of two elementary aged children, Dr. Maynard, a child psychologist and mom of three elementary aged children, and McFarlane, a mom of three elementary and middle school aged children, began the Central Bucks chapter in 2024. “We were feeling too concerned about what we were seeing, hearing, and experiencing ourselves, to sit still and not do anything,” they shared.

On February 6, members of the Wait Until 8th Central Bucks chapter hosted an event with parents from the 15 elementary schools in the Central Bucks School District, as well as members of other area chapters.

“Our hearts are full seeing this community of people grow and meeting parents who want to champion digital wellbeing and health for our kids and ourselves,” McGowan, McFarlane, and Dr. Maynard shared. “This is truly a group effort and one that’s more timely and important than ever.”

Local Research and Expert Insights

The movement’s growth coincides with concerning trends. According to a 2023 study published in the National Library of Medicine, “excessive screen usage can also lead to problems in social-emotional development, including obesity, sleep disturbances, depression, and anxiety. It can impair emotional comprehension, promote aggressive behavior, and hinder social and emotional competence.”

This data has caught the attention of healthcare providers across the region. Dr. Naline L. Lai, a board-certified pediatrician affiliated with Doylestown Health, regularly advises families about technology use. 

Dr. Lai often encourages families to “become the family they want to see,” which involves establishing balance, leading by example, and setting clear boundaries to prevent screen time from hindering crucial developmental aspects of childhood.

Dr. Lai is the Medical Practice Director at CHOP Primary Care, Doylestown, and was named among Philadelphia Magazine’s Top Doctors for 2023 and 2024.

Resources for Bucks County Families

Local Support Networks: Bucks County Wait Until 8th Chapters

• Central Bucks (meetings at Doylestown Library)
  • Council Rock (meetings at Newtown Library)
  • Pennridge (meetings at Perkasie Library)
• Central Bucks Family YMCA’s Tech-Free Family Programs
• Doylestown Health’s Family Wellness Series

Educational Resources

• Bucks County Intermediate Unit’s Digital Citizenship Program
• Peace Center’s Bullying Prevention Resource Center
• Council Rock Coalition for Healthy Youth’s Screen Time Management Workshops

Reading Materials

• “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt
• “Glow Kids” by Nicolas Kardaras
• “The Screentime Solution” by Emily Cherkin

Helpful Websites

• Protect Young Eyes – “A framework to tame the tech and reclaim your family.”
• Better Screen Time – “Raise kids and teens who thrive in a digital world.”
• Common Sense Media – “Discover how we’re working to make the digital world better for kids and families.”

Alternative Activities

• Bucks County Parks and Recreation’s Youth Programs
• New Hope-Solebury Community School’s After-School Activities
• Michener Art Museum’s Youth Art Programs
• Bucks County Free Library’s Teen Tech-Free Zone Events

Practical Solutions for Communication

Many parents worry about staying in touch with their children without smartphones. Bucks County schools and other organizations have developed effective alternatives:

Communication Options

• Basic flip phones available through all major carriers
• Relay Devices (GPS-enabled communication devices without internet access)
  • Some Apple Watch models
  • Gizmo Watch
  • Bark Watch
  • TickTalk Watch
  • Gabb Watch
• Phone alternatives
  • Gabb Phone
  • The Bark Phone Starter Plan
  • Pinwheel
  • Light Phone 2
  • Wisephone II by Techless
• School office phones and after-school program supervision
• Family communication plans through school administration

Local Success Stories

The Wait Until 8th Central Bucks leaders are already seeing the benefits of their efforts. McFarlane’s daughter waited until 8th grade before she owned a smartphone and felt at ease knowing she had peers who also signed the Wait Until 8th pledge. 

In their experience, talking about their pledge earned respect from friends and their parents alike.

“Some friends already had smartphones before my daughter, but there was still a mutual respect. Her friends’ parents knew that our daughter did not have a smartphone yet, so they made sure that parties and events weren’t centered around being online,” McFarlane shared. “It’s important to be open and honest about your technology plans. It’s far less awkward than what you may imagine, and often leads to opportunities for other families to consider participating once they learn about what you’re doing.”

Several Bucks County schools have strengthened their phone-free policies in recent years. The Doylestown Bookshop’s weekly tech-free teen book club has become a model program, demonstrating that young people can thrive in screen-free social environments.

Local organizations are also increasingly offering tech-free social opportunities for tweens and teens, from art workshops at the Michener Museum to outdoor adventure programs through county parks and recreation.

Building Community Support

Wait Until 8th Bucks County welcomes new families through multiple channels, including Instagram (@waituntil8th_centralbucks), monthly library meetings, and their email list. School counselors can also connect parents with local resources and support groups. The movement works closely with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit to provide educational workshops on digital citizenship and managing peer pressure around technology use.

The pledge becomes “active” when 10 or more families in a child’s grade sign up, creating a connected support network. “Peer pressure can be hard and kids can feel left out, but fortunately, they are also left out of things like cyber bullying, mindless scrolling, addictive gaming, comparison, body image traps, and dangerous online trends,” McGowan, McFarlane, and Dr. Maynard shared.

From New Hope to Yardley, parents are finding strength in numbers. The leaders encourage open dialogue about family technology plans and school policies. “Talk to each other about this; it’s not taboo or judgmental,” they wrote. “Technology is a huge part of our everyday lives and we need to learn how to use it without letting it use us.”

Their goal isn’t to eliminate technology but to help children develop a healthy relationship with it at the right time. “This is a worldwide issue, but if we can begin to tackle it at a local level and build it up from our small communities, this will continue to grow,” the leaders shared. “The hope is that by the time our young children become preteens and teens it will be more common to see kids without smartphones and social media.”

---

For more information about local Wait Until 8th chapters or to find support in your decision to delay smartphone access, visit the Wait Until 8th website or contact any of the local organizations listed above. This story is part of the Bucks County Parent Education Guide and is also seen in the Bucks County Parent Health & Wellness Guide.