2026年6月18日 / 美国东部时间早上5:44 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
作者：利·基内里
都柏林以南、俯瞰爱尔兰海的灰石镇（Greystones）是爱尔兰最富裕、风景最优美的城镇之一。这里的海岸景观、独立商铺和紧密联结的社区，让它成为该国最宜居的地点之一。
近年来，灰石镇还因另一件事声名鹊起：让孩子们在无智能手机的环境中成长。
上个月在当地一家青年咖啡馆，哥伦比亚广播公司新闻采访了一屋子11和12岁的孩子，询问他们是否拥有智能手机，结果没有一个孩子举手。
“我妈妈可能要等到我22岁才会让我用，”名叫西耶娜的女孩打趣道，引得同学们咯咯直笑。
“我妈妈跟我说科学家做过脑部扫描，”名叫萨姆的男孩插话道，“刷手机的人和喝酒的人脑部活动是一样的，他们的想法也一样。”
爱尔兰灰石镇的孩子们在无智能手机的环境下成长，他们与哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的利·基内里分享了自己的成长经历。哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
我们采访的这些孩子所在的圣帕特里克国立学校校长雷切尔·哈珀表示，三年前新冠疫情后恢复线下授课时，她注意到了一个令人担忧的趋势。
“我发现学校里学生的焦虑情绪有所增加，”她对哥伦比亚广播公司新闻说道。
哈珀组织了一项全镇范围的调查，收到了全镇教育工作者的800份回复。结果令人震惊，95%的教师报告称课堂上学生的焦虑情绪有所加剧。
“我们开始探究焦虑情绪增加的原因，”她说，“网络世界无疑对孩子们产生了影响。”
为此，哈珀发起了“众人拾柴火焰高”社区项目，核心宗旨就是：把童年还给孩子们。
项目迈出的第一个具体步骤是推出一项自愿准则，家长们承诺在孩子升入中学前不会给他们智能手机。许多家长表示，这种集体承诺起到了关键作用。
“这给了我足够的底气和力量去说‘不，你不能用这个应用程序，不然我就给你的手机设置使用限制’，”早早签署了准则的四个孩子的母亲亚历克斯·多布斯说道。
不过，社区里很多人都明白，仅仅移除电子产品是不够的。他们在青年咖啡馆组织了游戏之夜，还给孩子们提供了其他娱乐方式。多布斯甚至让孩子们养了宠物小羊。
爱尔兰灰石镇，一名男孩正在玩空气曲棍球。c
“灰石镇把这件事做得很到位，”她对哥伦比亚广播公司新闻说道，“作为家长，你不能只告诉他们‘别做这个’，你得给他们提供替代的活动。我不是说你非得在后院养一群小羊，但这绝对是出门活动的绝佳理由。”
如今，“众人拾柴火焰高”项目已进入第三个年头。圣帕特里克国立学校推出了导师计划，由15、16岁的高中生来到初中，教导低年级学生在时机成熟时如何负责任地使用手机和网络世界。
在当地高中，年龄较大的学生在校期间也会将手机锁在专用收纳袋中。效果似乎十分显著，教师们报告称学生上课更专注，家长们也表示孩子的睡眠质量有所提升。
孩子们也表示他们察觉到了变化。
“我和朋友们聊天的变多了，”高中生安妮对哥伦比亚广播公司新闻说道，“我不再担心自己有多少条未读通知了。”
“我觉得大家就应该在外面玩耍，”12岁的亚历克斯说道，“而不是沉迷社交媒体，或是整天盯着屏幕。”
Way beyond a social media ban, one town in Ireland is raising kids without smartphones
June 18, 2026 / 5:44 AM EDT / CBS News
By Leigh Kiniry
Overlooking the Irish Sea just south of Dublin, Greystones is one of Ireland’s most affluent and scenic towns. Its coastal views, independent shops and tight-knit community have made it one of the most desirable places to live in the country.
In recent years, Greystones has also become known for something else: Raising children without smartphones.
At a local youth cafe last month, CBS News asked a room of 11- and 12-year-olds if they owned smartphones, and not a single hand went up.
“My mom probably won’t let me till I’m 22,” quipped a girl named Sienna, drawing giggles from her classmates.
“My Mum told me scientists did this brain scan,” chimed in a boy named Sam. “It’s the same brain as people — they’re thinking the same thing if they’re scrolling and drinking alcohol.”
Children from Greystones, Ireland, who are growing up without smartphones, speak with CBS News’ Leigh Kiniry about their experience. CBS News
Rachel Harper, a principal at St. Patrick’s National School, where the kids CBS News met are students, said she noticed a worrying trend three years ago after the return to in-person classes following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I noticed an increase in anxiety levels in my school,” she told CBS News.
Harper organized a community-wide survey, drawing 800 responses from educators across the town. The results were striking, with 95% of teachers reporting heightened anxiety in their classrooms.
“We started looking at what were some of the reasons for the increase in anxiety levels,” she said. “The online world was definitely having an effect on the children.”
In response, Harper started “It Takes a Village,” a community initiative built around one central idea: Give kids their childhood back.
The first concrete step was a voluntary code, with parents pledging not to give their children smartphones until they reached middle school. Many parents said the collective commitment made all the difference.
“For me, it gave me the strength and the power I needed to say, ‘No, you’re not having this app, or I’m going to put that block on your phone,’” said Alex Dobbs, a mother of four who signed on early.
Many in the community said they understood that just removing something wasn’t enough, however. Game nights at the youth cafe were organized, and kids were given alternative methods of entertainment. Dobbs even let her children get pet lambs.
A boy plays air hockey in Greystones, Ireland. c
“Greystones has gotten that right,” she told CBS News. “As a parent, you’ve got to understand that you don’t just tell them ‘oh, don’t do this,’ you’ve got to give them something else. I’m not saying you have to have a lamb flock out the back. But it’s a great excuse to get out.”
Now in its third year, the It Takes a Village initiative has introduced a mentor program at St Patrick’s National School, with 15- and 16-year-old students coming into the middle school to teach younger kids how to navigate phones and the online world responsibly, when the time comes.
In the local high school, those older kids also have their phones locked away in pouches during the school day. The results have appeared significant, with teachers reporting students more focused during lessons and parents reporting their children are sleeping better.
The kids say they’ve noticed a difference, too.
“I’m talking to my friends more,” high schooler Anne told CBS News. “I’m not worried about the notifications I have.”
“I feel like you should just be playing outside,” said Alex, 12. “Just not being on social media or having your nose stuck in a screen.”