CARMEL, Ind. – Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic School is leading the way in a national campaign urging parents to wait until at least the end of eighth grade to give their child a smartphone.

“Part of our mission is to ensure we are meeting the needs of the whole child,” said Principal Tim Fletcher, “and technology is part of that.”

Fletcher looks after around 650 students and has six children of his own.

“I can tell you there is a big difference between raising children today and even five years ago,” Fletcher said.

Many parents at the school agree. In fact, 381 families have signed the national “Wait Until 8th” campaign. This is the highest number of any school in the country.

Carmel mother Lauren Clark took the pledge for her four children.

“When a parent signs the Wait Until 8th Grade Pledge, that means they are promising to wait at least until the end of 8th grade to get their child a smartphone,” Clark said.

Clark said the pledge is intended to protect young children from the distractions and dangers that smartphones can pose.

Co-parent Megan Dearing took the pledge in 2023 for her three boys.

“My kids don’t have phones right now,” Dearing said. “I think the longer you can wait, the better.”

“Essentially, the pledge is a way for parents to come together so we don’t feel so much pressure to get our kids smartphones before we think they’re ready,” Clark said.

The 381 signatures at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel cover more than half of the student body.

“Thank God for that,” Fletcher said.

The school is one of more than a dozen Indiana schools whose parents have signed the pledge.

As of December 9, 2024, the campaign has received more than 90,000 signatures in all 50 states.

“To keep the promises, you can have a ‘dumb phone,’ as we call them, or a phone that is less accessible, which we think is a much better choice for children in this age group,” Fletcher said.

“There are a lot of options now between no phone and an iPhone,” Clark said. “I think a lot of times people think it’s a binary decision, but it doesn’t have to be.”

Some smartphone alternatives include basic “call and text” phones. Others include watches that mimic smartphones that Dearing’s boys use.

“They’re different kids,” Dearing said. “They are clearer. They are more creative.”

“Whatever your parenting preferences, there is a device for you,” Clark said.

“I think the less time we can spend on these devices, the better it is for all of us,” Dearing said. “Makes us better parents, children and people in general.”