19/05/2026
Yesterday, 70 children and young people from Ecclesfield, Lound, Windmill Hill, High Green and Ecclesfield Primary were reunited with their smartphones after giving them up for three whole weeks. Some of our youngest pupils handed in their iPads. Our volunteers ranged from age 4 to 16, and every single one of them showed real courage and curiosity.
Last night we held a celebration event where we heard from the children and from some of their parents and carers. Their reflections were thoughtful, honest and often quite moving. Many said they’d enjoyed the experience far more than they expected — some even wanted it to continue for longer — and several have encouraged others to take part next year.
The project has also attracted national attention, partly because it coincides with the government’s consultation on children and social media, which closes on 26th May. If you’d like to share your views, you can do so here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation
If you’d like to find out more about what we’ve been doing, our story will be featured on:
• Good Morning Britain – Wednesday 20th May
• ITV National News – Wednesday 20th May
• BBC Look North – Thursday 21st May
A huge thank you to all the children and young people across our five schools — you have been absolutely amazing. And thank you to the parents and carers whose support made this whole project possible.
We are consulting on further measures to prepare children for the future in an age of rapid technological change. This includes potential age restrictions on social media and other services such as gaming sites and AI chatbots, restrictions on addictive design features and risky functionalities, and...
