Why wait?
Waiting can feel hard when your child thinks everyone else already has a smartphone. That is exactly why Wait Mate works at a school year-group level. When families can see they are not the only ones saying 'not yet', the pressure starts to ease.
Notifications received per day
237+
Time spent per day on smartphones
5.5+ hours
How it works
1. Join
Join the movement and choose how long you'd like to wait before giving your child a smartphone. It takes less than two minutes.
2. Connect
Meet other families in your child's school year group who are making the same choice. You decide how much you’d like to connect.
3. Build momentum
See your school community grow, receive updates and share Wait Mate with other families when you’re ready.
4. Wait together
The more families waiting together, the less pressure sits with any one parent or child. Over time, waiting can become the easier, more normal choice.
Good question!
Join the movement, choose how long you would like to wait before giving your child a smartphone, and select their school and year group. We connect you with other families making the same choice, then keep you updated as your school community grows.
You are saying you will wait before giving your child their own smartphone. You choose the school year you would like to wait until, and you can update your commitment later if your circumstances change.
No. If you are still figuring it out, you can choose “I’ll decide later” and update your commitment when you are ready.
Families in the same school year group can see the limited information needed to know who is waiting with them (child first name and surname initial).
Your email address is not shared with other families. Wait Mate only displays the information required to help families in the same school year group recognise who is waiting together. See our Privacy Policy for full details
Yes. You can manage your child, school, year group and waiting commitment at any time.
Someone has to be first. You will still be part of the wider Wait Mate movement, and we will give you simple ways to invite other families when you are ready.
No. Wait Mate is about timing, not rejecting technology. We help families wait longer before smartphones become part of everyday childhood, while recognising every family will make the decision that is right for them.