00:00Students in the British city of St Albans march to a unique beat.
00:07While their peers play games and watch videos on mobile screens,
00:12parents in this city have made a pact not to give their children a smartphone until they're at least 14.
00:19Nobody wants their child to be the odd one out.
00:21Everybody wants to fit in, of course they do, particularly at that tender age.
00:25So if everybody is holding off until 14, then the expectation has shifted.
00:30And that is sort of like a teamwork.
00:32Six months in, the campaign is gaining momentum.
00:36It's becoming a movement, not just in St Albans, but across the country actually.
00:41Some people that do have one, they might say that life isn't life without one,
00:45but then it is, like life is still life.
00:50There's so much beyond the screen.
00:53You can talk to your family members, friends, you can go on a walk,
00:57you can actually meet your friends instead of just texting them.
01:01Around a quarter of 5-7 year olds in the UK own a smartphone.
01:05That number jumps to 95% by age 12.
01:09Schools in the UK are hoping to prove it's still possible to give kids a childhood free from smartphones,
01:16and they're hoping progress made here might inspire cities around the world to take similar action.
01:22It's part of a global pushback against the prolific technology.
01:26Australia and parts of the US are exploring social media bans for children,
01:31amid growing claims its use is linked to a decline in mental health.
01:35I would say the evidence does not back up many of the stronger claims that abound
01:41that tie smartphones kind of by themselves to adverse mental health.
01:47I think it's a movement born of frustration.
01:50I think a lot of parents have wanted governments to regulate big tech for a long time
01:56and it isn't happening, and they feel now they have to take action into their own hands.
02:00Lessons learned here could help parents confronting similar challenges in other parts of the world.
02:07Michelle Rimmer, ABC News, London.
02:11For more UN videos visit www.un.org
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