15.01.2025
Dear Parents,
Thank you for attending the recent webinar with Dr Maureen Griffin—I hope it provided valuable insights into the Agree to Agree project and highlighted the importance of working together to meet children’s needs and ensure their online safety. Feedback has been very positive.
We’ve already completed a staff survey and pupil focus groups, and now it’s your turn! Please take a few moments to complete our Agree to Agree Parent Survey and share your thoughts on this very important process.
The survey is completely anonymous. Please complete one survey per family. If you have more than one child in the school please complete with your eldest child in mind.
Your feedback is essential in shaping our next steps. Thank you for your support!
14.01.2025
For those who couldn’t attend last night’s webinar, here’s a quick overview of our online session about the “Agree to Agree” project, a collaborative initiative aimed at addressing the challenges of children’s use of internet-enabled devices.
Host: Dr. Maureen Griffin, Forensic Psychologist
Why Are We Doing This?
We know that parents often feel torn. You don’t want your child to feel left out, but keeping up with trends can be overwhelming—especially when children use “pester power.” The project emphasizes the importance of the school community working together to meet children’s needs, rather than their wants.
The Challenges
Dr. Maureen Griffin highlighted some key issues affecting children today:
- Overexposure to age-inappropriate content
- Mental health concerns such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and poor resilience
- Sleep deprivation due to excessive screen time
From an Irish perspective, the “Left to their Own Devices” report (Cyber Safe Kids) shared concerning statistics:
- 94% of 8–12-year-olds own their own smart devices
- 25% of primary school children report being bothered by online experiences
- 83% use devices in their bedrooms
- 38% game with strangers
- 65% have been contacted by a stranger while gaming
Dr. Griffin reminded us: troubling material can’t be unseen, and while children may recognize it’s wrong, they can struggle to stop engaging with it.
📖 For further reading, check out the complete report here: Left to Their Own Devices 2023–24.
Shaping a New Normal
To protect children, internet-enabled devices must come with:
- Safeguards
- Clear rules
- Consistent boundaries
Parents and schools must work together to support healthy habits, especially given the digital age of consent is 16 years.
About the “Agree to Agree” Project
This is a collaborative effort involving staff, students, and now, parents! The school will share a parent survey in the coming days. This will be an opportunity for you to:
- Summarise your experience
- Share your concerns and needs around device use
- Suggest ideas for the final Agreement, such as:
- Restricting age-inappropriate apps
- Setting digital-free zones and times
- Delaying sole ownership of smart devices
The goal? To create a school-specific Agreement that reflects our community’s values and reduces the pressures parents and children face.
Resources and Next Steps
For more guidance, check out the Department of Education’s initiative: Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free (89% of parents in classes Junior Infants to Second Class at Ard Rí CNS have already committed to keeping their child’s time at Primary School smartphone, social media and online gaming free)
Let’s continue normalizing conversations about device use and build a supportive, balanced environment for our children.
A Final Thought
We’ll leave you with this quote from Barack Obama:
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
10.01.2025
The Agree to Agree Project aims to establish a community-specific agreement for the use of internet-enabled devices, creating a safe, positive and unified norm for children’s digital device use.
The first stage of this project, Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free (Department of Education) was completed in Term 1 this academic year, with children in Junior Infants to 2nd Class. An incredible 89% of families have agreed to keep their young child’s time at Primary School Smartphone, Social Media and Online-Gaming Free.
To begin the next step of this project, parents and staff from Ard Rí CNS have been invited to a webinar as part of the Agree to Agree project. I hope a parent from every family will log on. The meeting will not be recorded.
Webinar Details:
Date: Monday, 13th January
Time: 7:00 PM – 7:40 PM
Facilitator: Dr. Maureen Griffin, Forensic Psychologist
Registration Link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JSeL6bWhSrCkymxolzp6XQ
The Agree to Agree Project, which is supported by the Department of Education through Oide Technology in Education, aims to establish a school-specific agreement for the use of internet-enabled devices, creating a positive and unified norm for children’s digital device use. This webinar will provide an overview of the project and outline how school communities can work collaboratively to manage children’s use of internet enabled devices.
Dr. Maureen Griffin will provide insights into the project’s purpose and how it supports families and schools in managing digital device use effectively.
For your information, please see below image summarising staff feedback, identifying the main issues impacting the wellbeing of students during the school day due to device use at home:
