12/01/2026
I am a BIG proponent of waiting to give kids smartphones. If they’re overwhelming for us adults, what must they be for kids whose brains are still developing?? Beyond that, keeping kids off the internet protects them from online predators. I love this movement!!
Thank you People Magazine for sharing the Wait Until 8th pledge with your readers! Story highlights include:
A group of parents has gone viral after delaying smartphones for their children with the Wait Until 8th pledge — and instead giving them landline phones to stay connected safely.
For parents Meg Kate and Kyle McAlarney, delaying smartphone use has become a deliberate choice rooted in both community and nostalgia.
In their then-7-year-old daughter’s first-grade year, the McAlarneys, along with other parents in the class, signed a “Wait Until 8th” pledge, an agreement among families to hold off on giving their children smartphones until the end of eighth grade.
“For us, it’s about delaying that step as long as we can and letting [our children] enjoy real conversations before introducing all the distractions that come with screens,” Meg, 40, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
This past Christmas, as a meaningful and nostalgic compromise, the McAlarneys and a group of other parents from their daughter's third-grade class all decided to get their children Tin Can landline phones for Christmas.
“We wanted [Maddie’s] first experience with having a phone to feel simple and intentional, not overwhelming,” Meg explains, noting that her daughter’s landline was gifted to her by her grandmother living in New York.
“The Tin Can phone felt like a great middle ground, it gives her a way to stay in touch with friends when school’s out and connect with family who live out of state, without jumping straight into a smartphone," the mom of three adds.
According to the company’s website, Tin Can is a screen-free, kid-friendly home phone that allows children to call and receive calls only from approved contacts, offering a sense of independence without internet access or smartphone risks.
Read the full story at People Magazine , including more on the parents' “Wait Until 8th” pledge for smartphones and how the girls have responded to their new landline phones.
📷: Courtesy of Meg Kate McAlarney
