Starting A Local Parent Group
A step-by-step guide for bringing your community together to protect childhood
Starting a local parent group may feel daunting, but it often begins with just a few conversations. With a clear mission and consistent communication, you can build a community that supports healthier norms around screen use and drives change in schools and neighborhoods.
The steps below are suggestions and ideas. You don’t need to follow every step or accomplish them in order. We hope they spark some ideas and offer helpful guidance.
Getting Started
Step 1: Join the SFCxUS Community
Our mission is to help parents come together to take collective action in their local communities. The strength of SFCxUS is in our members and the knowledge, experience, and support we share with each other.
Join the SFCxUS WhatsApp Group: This is our main community platform where parents exchange real-time advice, resources, and encouragement.
Join special interest groups (on topics like EdTech and AI) or connect with a state group to find parents working on these issues closer to home.
If WhatsApp isn’t your thing, we’re launching a community forum on our website soon (think 90s style discussion board!). Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to be notified.
Step 2: Gather Your Core Team
You don’t need a big group to begin. Many great movements have started with just two or three parents talking over coffee.
Start with people you know. Invite a couple of friends or parents from your child’s school who share your concerns.
Pick a simple starting point. Your first focus could be raising awareness, encouraging phone-free schools, or simply supporting each other as families.
Set an easy first goal. For example: “Bring parents together to share ideas and encourage phone-free childhoods until at least age 16.”
Stay connected in small ways. Even meeting once a month for coffee or on Zoom is enough to keep things moving forward.
Define your mission and vision. Are you focused on encouraging your community to delay smartphones and social media? Addressing EdTech in your schools? Encouraging more play and less screens? Building community? Perhaps it’s all of the above!
Step 3: Decide Your Structure
Before you go too far, decide how you want to set up your group. Consider the benefits of each option and choose what best fits your time, energy, and goals.
Independent group: Create your own local organization with its own mission, events, and identity.
Chapter of an existing movement: Connect with established organizations such as Wait Until 8th, MAMA, OK to Delay, or The Balance Project to start an official chapter in your area.
Step 4: Choose a Name and Create a Logo
A clear name and simple logo make it easier for people to remember your group and recognize your events.
Brainstorm a name that reflects your mission and feels welcoming.
Use your name and logo consistently on flyers, social media, and handouts so people know they’ve found the right group.
Many of our members are starting independent organizations using “reConnect:<City Name” or “<City Name> Unplugged”. If these names interest you, contact us and we can quickly customize a logo for you
Step 5: Find Other Parents in Your Area
Cast a wide net. Many parents feel the same way and are looking for connection.
Create a listing on the SFCxUS Parent Group Locator. This helps other parents in your area find you.
Talk to friends. You may be surprised how many share your concerns.
Post in community spaces such as neighborhood groups, PTA or PTO pages, Nextdoor, and Facebook parent groups.
Ask for time at a PTA or PTO meeting to share your mission.
Request that your school principal include a note about your group in the school newsletter.
Host an information table at school or community events such as Back to School Night, Parent Night, or local fairs.
Wait Until 8th wrote a great article about how to talk to other parents.
Step 6: Build Your Group’s Digital Home Base
Your group’s online presence is how parents will find you, stay connected, and share your mission with others. There are a variety of approaches you can take, including:
Launch a website. Build your own or contact us for a ready-to-use Google Site Template that you can customize and quickly publish. Some examples of local group sites:
Create social media pages. Use Facebook or Instagram to share updates, event info, and resources with your community. (We don’t like being on social media either, but are using it to fight fire with fire.) EXAMPLE
Set up a communication hub. The Four Norms platform is an easy way for organizers to connect and coordinate. EXAMPLE
Collect parent information. Create a Google Form to keep track of interested families and send updates. EXAMPLE
Share valuable resources. Post research, videos, articles, and recaps of your events.
Include calls to action. Encourage parents to sign a phone pact, attend events, and invite others to join.
Be sure to list your group or yourself on the SFCxUS Parent Group Locator
Step 7: Host Your First Event
An event is where connections grow. Always include a clear next step or call to action.
Informal gathering such as coffee at a local café or a meeting in someone’s home to share stories, concerns, and solutions. Consider making it a regular monthly event.
Alternative Device Fair to showcase simple, non-smart devices for kids.
Book club or discussion starting with The Anxious Generation or other SFCxUS-recommended books. Be sure to check out the video overview of the Anxious Generation.
Host an expert speaker to discuss the issue as an event. You can find a local medical expert. If you have the funds available, you can also hire an expert speaker.
Documentary screenings of The Social Dilemma, Childhood 2.0, Screenagers or or host a free screening of Can’t Look Away followed by group discussion.
Step 8: Launch a Community Pact
A pact helps families feel supported in their decision and builds strength in numbers. Pacts can be school-wide, grade-level, neighborhood-based or even state-based. Some examples:
SFCxUS Declaration of Digital Independence: SFCxUS drafted a model pact for organizers to use as a tool in their community. It puts local organizers in the driver’s seat in managing the pact and offers 3 different options for the benchmark to delay. Parents also make a commitment to their families to be intentional in their use of screens.
Wait Until 8th Pledge: Parents agree to delay giving their child a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade, and only once a certain number of families in the class or grade have signed.
Parent Pact Builder: Use the Four Norms platform to launch a pact based on Jonathan Haidt’s four norms in minutes. You can also edit the pact to suit your community needs.
Social Media Delay Pact: Families agree to keep kids off social media until high school or a specific age. The Kids IRL Phone Pact from ScreenSense is a great example.
Custom Local Pact: Your group can create its own agreement that fits your community’s needs.
Step 9: Partner With Local Organizations
Your group’s voice becomes stronger with allies.
Collaborate with schools by offering to speak at assemblies or parent nights.
Reach out to libraries, community centers, and youth organizations to co-host events.
Work with mental health professionals who can speak to the effects of technology on kids and help amplify your message.
Step 10: Keep the Momentum Going
A thriving group needs consistent engagement.
Host regular meetups such as monthly or quarterly gatherings.
Share quick wins, for example stories of families making changes, new school policies, or inspiring news articles.
Welcome newcomers warmly so they can easily plug in and participate.
Remember…
You do not have to start big. Many successful groups began with two or three parents talking around a kitchen table. With intention, connection, and persistence, you can help change the culture around childhood screen use in your community.