In the spirit of putting faces to the Smartphone Free Childhood HK movement, in this first newsletter we will be interviewing Robert Broad, co-founder of the group that kickstarted SFC HK to find about the man behind the organisation
Before we delve into your work in launching this group, can please tell us a bit about who you are?
Born in Zimbabwe and raised in South Africa, Hong Kong has now been my home for 27 years. I work in healthcare communications and have a son who is nearly 9 years old and attends an ESF school.
What motivated you and Carmen to start the WhatsApp group that was the precursor to Smartphone Free Childhood Hong Kong?
Increasingly saddened to see the dehumanising impact of smartphones and social media on all aspects of our life, society and interactions, I started to think if we adults struggle and suffer under the weight of these technologies, what hope is there for my son and other kids?
How can I help him realise his potential with an appreciation and respect for nature and people, equipped with the real-world experiences and knowledge to build strong relationships and foundations that will help him flourish in this and our future world?
I was kickstarted into action by a sense of feeling overwhelmed and defeated by the smartphone behaviours modelled by everyone – at the bus stop, restaurants, playgrounds, school, home – the sense of inevitability and lack of agency to make decisions for the wellbeing of my son was stifling. Spurred on by this and a conversation with my spouse, where the clear options emerged – either give our son a smartphone, against our better judgement, or risk potential social isolation, I decided I wanted to “change the world” or at least the conversation around smartphones and children. I knew I wanted to empower parents with information and choices to make informed decisions in these regards
I started scrolling through like minded parent groups looking for any numbers starting with 852. And I reached out, and found Carmen and a few other mums interested in starting a movement in Hong Kong. We launched our WhatsApp group that very day on 18th April 2024.
What has the response from the HK community to your movement been like? Have you encountered any challenges or resistance?
The response has been nothing short of exhilarating – just 3 months old, and we have built a community that represents more than 50 schools and more than 1,000 parents from all corners of Hong Kong. We have seen: new conversations taking place;parent-pledges being implemented in our schools; an enormous outpouring of gratitude and support for the efforts of the movement and the creation of the working group of parents that drive our program forward.
Our biggest challenge is time – not just finding it around the demands of work and home – but also wishing we could do more, faster with what time we do have. The other challenge for us on the working group is the irony of needing to spend more time on our smartphones and coming to terms with our unease to leverage these social and digital technologies to advance our cause!
As the founder of Smartphone Free Childhood Hong Kong, how has your personal journey and experiences shaped your commitment to this cause and the direction this is taking?
I loved my childhood in South Africa – sure, as a swimmer in a nation of football/rugby players, it had its challenges – but I had an outdoorsy, freedom to move and mingle with the wonders and peoples of my country that taught me to respect nature and the diversity and beauty of life and people. I want the same for my son.
When we first encountered smartphones, we had no idea as adults what impact they would have on our world and our wellbeing – now, the evidence is in, now we know better and we need to do better for our kids. One of the anecdotes burned in my mind is: “Give your child a smartphone when you want their childhood to end”. This steels me every day to continue to find the strength to keep trying to build awareness and support, and empower the community to do what’s best for our children.
This journey is certainly not going to take place without challenges, with this in mind, what would be your greatest wish for the movement before the end of 2024?
It’s clear from our research that our community unanimously wants smartphone free schools in Hong Kong – if we can help our parents open conversations with schools that will evolve the policy around smartphones in even a tenth of our schools, that would be a success. If we can build a community of like-minded parents that is truly representative of the diversity of Hong Kong, that would be a success. If we can introduce pledges that see even a third of parents holding off on giving smartphones to their kids until they’re 14 or older, that would be a success. And – reaching for the stars – if we can keep our kids off social media until 16 years or older, that would be a victory.
As parents we’ve been put in an impossible situation: there’s no judging anyone who’s given their child a smartphone. This is a divisive issue and we’re all trying to do what’s best for our children: Together we can have an impact on the culture and conversations around children and smartphones in Hong Kong.