The parents who have pledged to keep their kids smartphone-free until

ITV West Country's Bob Cruwys has been speaking to some of those behind the pledge

A group of parents in North Devon have clubbed together to prevent their children from receiving smartphones until they become teenagers.

The families in Woolacombe have signed a pact, promising they won't give the devices to their children until at least the end of Year 9, when they are 13 or 14 years old.

They hope challenging the cultural norm could help protect their children from harmful material, cyberbullying and mental illness.

The parents believe that, while one individual child might feel left out, if enough of them commit to the pledge the children won't be isolated.

Parents Joe and Jenn Steer were struggling with the feeling that they didn't have any choice. Jenn describes it as a "cliff edge that seemed to be looming", where everybody gives their child a smart phone.

She said: "The reason most parents end up giving their kids a smart phone is peer pressure. They don't want their child to be the one that's left out."

Joe heard about a growing movement of parents across the UK who were agreeing together to delay giving their child a phone.

Joe said: "We thought if we can just get a few other parents on board then we won't be the only ones. Having that safety in numbers is really nice. It means we know for sure our children are not going to be the only ones not having a smart phone."

Their children Tom and Meredith say they understand the choice their parents have made.

Tom, aged nine, said: "My mum says that once you see something you can't unsee it, so you might get nightmares and stuff and I don't want to get nightmares."

He added: "There's still plenty of other stuff you can do without a mobile phone like playing the guitar and being outside."

Campaigners say exposing children to things their brains aren’t yet developed enough to deal with can cause anxiety and other mental health problems. They also have concerns about bullying, grooming, distraction and addiction.

Parent Penny Clark said: "A smart phone is an adult product. It's not been designed for children.

"I'm hoping, maybe in the future, there will be more choices but right now there isn't and so I feel like the safest thing we can do for our kids is to then just delay that until they are old enough because they are still children."

Woolacombe School has 174 children and 75 families have already signed up to the pledge - but they say it certainly not about being anti-technology.

Headteacher Gail Holmes said: "We support children having technology and we use technology in school. Every child in Key Stage 2 has access to a Chromebook. That is their future and it's really important that they do have those skills.

"This is about protecting our children outside of school, with the use of smartphones which they don't necessarily need. We want our children to stay children for as long as possible and have those normal communications with their friends and build strong relationships that way."