New US initiative gives families a structured way to decide yes, yes with limits, or not yet, based on demonstrated readiness rather than age or peer pressure.
ALEXANDRIA, VA / ACCESS Newswire / October 6, 2026 / Safe on Social Inc., powered by Ctrl+Shft, today launched The Smartphone Readiness Project in the United States, introducing a structured model designed to help families determine whether a child is ready for a smartphone, app or, digital platform based on demonstrated judgment and responsibility – rather than age or peer pressure alone.
The project does not assume that every child should have a smartphone. Waiting is a legitimate outcome, and for many children it is the right one. Families who have chosen to delay, including through community pledges, can use the project to prepare a child for any other device, smart toy, or app for the day access is eventually granted, and to explain why the answer is “not yet” in the meantime.
The launch comes as new US research points to a widening challenge around children’s technology use. Pew Research Center found that 42% of US parents of children 12 and younger say they could be doing better at managing their child’s screen time, rising to 47% among parents of children ages 8 to 12. Pew also found that 61% of children 12 and younger use a smartphone, according to their parents, with use, including on a parent’s device, reaching roughly three-quarters among 11- and 12-year-olds. The nationally representative study surveyed 3,054 US parents in May 2025. Pew Research Center
Schools are seeing the other side of the same issue. National Center for Education Statistics data released in 2025 found that 72% of US public-school leaders believe student cellphone use negatively affects mental health, 73% say it negatively affects attention spans and, 53% report a negative impact on academic performance. Seventy-seven percent of public schools already prohibit cellphone use during class, although only 30% prohibit use throughout classes and the wider school day. National Center for Education Statistics
For Safe on Social, those figures point to a broader behavioral-risk question: what happens before a child is handed unrestricted access to the device?
The Smartphone Readiness Project is designed to make that decision observable.
Instead of a parent being forced into an immediate “yes” or “no,” the child researches the phone, app, or platform they want and develops a formal business case for access. They must identify potential risks, understand privacy settings, establish a safety and time-management plan, and explain what they would do in situations such as unwanted contact. The family can then determine whether the answer is yes, yes with limits, or not yet. The business case is a test, not a pitch. The decision always stays with the parent. A persuasive presentation does not earn a device, and many children will discover through the process exactly where they are not ready yet. That is the point. A child who cannot calmly explain the rules, the risks, and what they would do when something goes wrong is showing their parent the answer.
“We have spent years asking what age a child should get a smartphone. We think there is a better question: what can that child demonstrate that tells us they are ready for what the device actually gives them access to?” said Kirra Pendergast, Founder of Safe on Social.
“A smartphone is not just a phone. It is a camera, microphone, tracking device, payment tool, publishing platform, AI assistant, and an always-open gateway to information and people. Readiness should therefore be demonstrated, not assumed because a birthday has arrived.”
The project includes a Phone or App Business Case, SWOT analysis, safety plan, privacy and time plan, Parent Presentation Checklist, 15 questions for parents to use during the presentation, and a Family Digital Access Agreement that parent and child sign together.
It is accompanied by Safe on Social’s Start Small, Release Slowly framework. For families who choose a basic/dumb or children’s phone, the project provides questions to ask before buying, because many devices marketed as simple still collect location data, store messages on company servers, or include browsers and app stores. For families who already have a smartphone in the home, the framework shows how to configure an iPhone or Android device with limited functionality, and return features one at a time as the child demonstrates readiness.
If trust is broken, access can step back rather than disappearing entirely.
“Whatever device a family chooses, the same questions apply. Who stores my child’s location? Who can read their messages? And what is this device training them to check? A dumb phone is often not as dumb as it states; it is not automatically safe, and a smartphone is not automatically unsafe,” Pendergast said. “Access follows readiness.”
Safe on Social supports schools that choose phone-free school days. The Smartphone Readiness Project is designed for the home, where decisions about device access are made, and it is designed to complement school phone policies.
The initiative reflects a broader direction for Safe on Social in the United States: moving digital safety upstream from incident response toward earlier identification of behavioral risk, practical intervention, and greater visibility for the adults responsible for children.
A separate 2025 national poll from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital found that 75% of US parents regarded both social media and excessive screen/device use as major problems for children and teens, while 66% identified internet safety as a major concern. National Poll on Children’s Health
Will Anstee, Global CEO of Safe on Social, said the Smartphone Readiness Project’s significance extends beyond the individual product.
“This is exactly the problem we are building Safe on Social and Ctrl+Shft to solve. Families and schools are surrounded by individual digital incidents, but underneath them are repeatable behavioral patterns. Our job is to identify those patterns early, turn more than a decade of frontline knowledge into practical intelligence, and give people something they can actually do with it.”
“The first-phone conversation is one example. We can see the pressure building, where parents are struggling, and what schools are confronting once those devices arrive. The opportunity is to intervene earlier. But lets support American Parents and their kids to collectively decide best way forward.”
The US edition of The Smartphone Readiness Project has been localized for American families and includes the complete digital guide and printable worksheet pack. Separate editions are available for Australia and the United Kingdom.
The Smartphone Readiness Project
The Smartphone Readiness Project is available at: https://www.safeonsocial.com/product-page/the-smartphone-readiness-project
About Safe on Social Inc.
Safe on Social, powered by Ctrl+Shft has worked at the frontline of digital safety since 2013, building more than a decade of Earned Intelligence™ from the real-world experiences of schools, educators, families, and communities. Founded by bestselling author and digital safety expert Kirra Pendergast, that frontline knowledge now powers Ctrl+Shft, a Behavioral Risk Intelligence platform designed to identify emerging patterns of digital and behavioral risk earlier, document duty of care, and help organizations act before concerning signals become serious harm.
Through its US entity, Safe on Social Inc. works with public and private schools to bring together education, risk intelligence, and governance through one connected system, helping make technology a safer and more positive part of school life.
Learn more at www.safeonsocial.com.
Media, Partnership & Investor Inquiries
Will Anstee
Safe on Social Inc.
will@safeonsocial.com
www.safeonsocial.com
SOURCE: Safe on Social
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