Parents: the pressure for social media starts in 4th class. So must we.
Once a class starts getting social media, it's very hard for any one family to hold out alone. Families that decide together, early, make it easy for every child. That takes parents signing up now, not next year.
So far, 2 children have been registered as Gen Alpha Rebels. Yours could be the one that gets your child's class started. It takes two minutes. A phone for calls and texts is fine — it's social media we're holding off, as late as 16 where we can.
2 Children in East Cork across 21 Primary and 6 Secondary Schools
Real numbers, updated as they grow.
What's on for Rebels
Badminton
Every Monday, 3–5pm
Midleton Community Centre
Weekly badminton for Gen Alpha Rebels. Ask the convenor about joining.
Convenor: Peter O'Sullivan
Sign Up Your Rebel → Volunteers needed →Greenway Cycle
Sunday 18 October · 1:00pm · Meet at Midleton Greenway car park
Midleton–Youghal Greenway
A family cycle on the Greenway to round off the weekend of CyberBreak, the CyberSafeKids national 24-hour switch-off on 16–17 October.
Convenor: Peter O'Sullivan
Sign Up Your Rebel → Volunteers needed → About CyberBreakMonster Celebration Party
Friday 25 June 2027
An end-of-year celebration for the Gen Alpha Rebels. Plans are at an early stage and suggestions are welcome.
Convenor: Peter O'Sullivan
Suggestions welcome →For Parents
Find the other parents at your child's school who feel the same way you do. Add your child's class securely, see who else is holding the line, and take some of the pressure off each other — and off your kids.
Parents: Get StartedFor Schools
This isn't a campaign asking schools for anything. Where a school wants to help — by keeping class information current, or just by being visible on the site — a school user can manage that themselves in a couple of minutes.
Schools: Learn MoreHow we make it actually work
Holding off works best when there's something real to look forward to, not just willpower.
Real discos and parties
For classes that stick with it together — not just willpower, an actual celebration to look forward to.
A badge that grows
Shown next to their own code name as your child's part of it grows — a fun way to track progress, no real names needed.
Filling the gap
With real stuff: reading together, playing together, celebrating together.
Never doing it alone
That's the whole point.
It's not just about saying no
Delaying social media only works if there's something better to say yes to. Some of what we're already talking about doing together:
Read it together
Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation for parents, and The Amazing Generation for kids — a class reading them together, then talking it over, does more than any leaflet could.
Celebrate finishing primary
A proper end-of-year party for every Rebel hero in 4th, 5th and 6th class who stuck with it — a real reward for them and their families.
Meet before 1st year
A get-together for the families carrying it into secondary school, so the kids walk in on day one already knowing they're not the only ones without Snapchat.
Just play, no coach required
Badminton, a kickaround, a bike spin — leave kids together in an open space and they'll happily amuse themselves for hours, no plan required. Longer term, we'd love to see proper local youth clubs come out of this too.
Is your school missing? Add it here.
Parents can request that a school be added even if the school itself has not yet engaged. If a school later chooses to support the initiative, it can be given secure access to update its own class information and contact details.
How it works
From 4th class to 1st Year, together.
Rebels start in 4th class
Parents register their child under their school and class, and kids and their classmates join in as Gen Alpha Rebels — before the pressure really starts.
Active, together, every year
Regular activities to replace screen time, and an end-of-year party for the Rebels in 4th, 5th and 6th class, for the region or school by school.
Into secondary as a group
Transition groups bring together the Rebels going to the same secondary school, so nobody starts 1st Year on their own.
This is a parent-led initiative
East Cork Reclaim Childhood is built by parents, for parents. It is designed to make it easier for families to act together rather than alone. No school is under any obligation to participate. No child or family is judged. The aim is simply to help parents connect, reduce pressure, and support a healthier childhood.
Schools can support at their own pace
If a school chooses to support the initiative, it can nominate a secure school user who can update class sizes and school contact details. This helps keep school information accurate and reduces admin duplication. If a school prefers not to participate directly, the school can still appear on the site and be managed by admin so parents can organise at local level.
This is a local pilot. There's a national movement too.
Smartphone Free Childhood Ireland runs the national pledge and connects parents by WhatsApp group right across the country — including secondary schools not far from us. We focus on what they don't: real local schools, real classes, and real get-togethers here in East Cork. Worth signing both.
Common questions
Clear answers to the main issues parents and schools raise.
Not a parent here? Back the Rebels anyway.
Grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbours, teachers and coaches: be counted, share an idea, or lend a hand at an activity. No account needed.
Join as a Supporter