UPCOMING WORKSHOP

please join us on may 2nd 7-8.30 PM for our next ONLINE parent workshop,

everyone welcome.

WHAT WE DO

PAPAYA promotes wellness and improved mental health in adolescents by helping young people achieve a healthy balance with technology.

We conduct workshops with the goal of educating parents and students on the connection between smartphones and the mental well-being of adolescents. We offer practical solutions to help students and families achieve a healthier relationship with their devices through either delaying the smartphone or establishing good tech boundaries.

We aim to support parents to consider:

Delaying the introduction of smartphones.
Delaying the introduction of social media.
Establishing good tech boundaries and promoting safe internet use.

OUR STORY

PAPAYA was launched 6 years ago when Dr. Susie Davies, a university GP, noticed the poor mental health of students. She discovered their mental health problems were often linked to their relationship with technology, especially excessive social media use and gaming. Despite limited evidence at the time, she became convinced that tech use in adolescents was having a negative impact on young people's mental health.

Meanwhile, her daughter was urging her to buy her first smartphone, leaving Dr. Davies torn between saying ‘no’ and not wanting her daughter to feel left out. She shared her concerns with other parents, and together they founded PAPAYA to promote healthier tech habits and encourage parents to delay their children's first smartphone together.

Since our launch in 2018, we have been working with local schools and parent groups. In the first 5 months of 2024 alone, we've held workshops for over 1000 children, with 94% of participants being motivated by the workshop to reduce tech use. We've also conducted parent workshops in 12 schools, assisting them in delaying smartphone use and helping families achieve a better tech-life balance

“AS PARENTS WE ARE POWERFUL, ESPECIALLY IF WE STAND TOGETHER”

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

We are collaborating with Smartphone Free Childhood to help parents work together to delay their child’s first smartphone. Join your local Smartphone Free Childhood WhatsApp group via the link:

@smartphonefreechildhood | Linktree

Smartphone Free Childhood

Sign the Safer Internet Pledge

For those with older children who already have smartphones, consider signing the SAFER INTERNET PLEDGE to help encourage safe boundaries.

SAFER INTERNET PLEDGE

Name

First Name

Last Name

Email

I commit to three ways to keep my child safer:

1) Talking about online harm and explicit content as a family. 2) Keeping smart devices out of bedrooms at night. 3) Adding filters, using parental controls and changing security settings to make it harder for my child to view adult material.

I agree

Donate to PAPAYA

Help us to continue delivering free workshops to hundred of children every week. It cost £1.60 per child to deliver a life changing workshop, every pound you give helps us continue our work! Thank you for your support!

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fundstateschools?utm_medium=campaign&utm_content=campaign%2Ffundstateschools&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

Our Vision Statement

We have a window of opportunity to change the way we approach technology for our children. Our goal with PAPAYA is to empower both parents and children to make informed decisions about their tech usage and consider delaying the smartphone and social media. One of the top reasons we often hear for parents granting unrestricted smartphone and social media access to young adolescents is the fear of social exclusion.

However, at PAPAYA, our mission is to unite groups of parents and children to make proactive, positive choices regarding delaying smartphone and social media. We invite you to re-evaluate your view on technology in childhood and consider starting this important conversation as a family and as a community.

The concept is straightforward: as parents within a school community, let's stand together and devise solutions to combat phone addiction in our children. Join PAPAYA today and together, let's empower our children to thrive in the digital era.

OUR SOLUTIONS