4 June 2026
How to take a smartphone off a teenager, gently
How to take a smartphone off a UK teenager, gently. Harder than not starting. The calm script, from UK families who've done it. Day one, week one, beyond.
no. 01 Notes from Knock
Notes from Knock, organised by question.
Long-form writing on smartphones, childhood and the mechanics of the switch. Written by one editor. Categorised below by the question the piece answers. Use the menu to jump.
no. 02 The decision
The case for delaying, the research, the parent script. Read these first if you are still deciding whether to do this at all.
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4 June 2026
The Online Safety Act, what it means for your child in 2026
The UK Online Safety Act 2023, plainly. What it requires of platforms, the children's safety duties, age verification, and what changes for UK families in 2026.
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4 June 2026
School phone ban statistics UK, the numbers in 2026
School phone ban statistics for UK 2026. Parent support, school uptake, Yondr adoption, behaviour outcomes, and the named primary sources.
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4 June 2026
How to talk to other parents about delaying smartphones
Practical, low-awkwardness ways to find one or two other families to delay smartphones with, from the school gate to the class WhatsApp group.
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4 June 2026
Yondr pouches in UK schools, what parents and heads should know
Yondr pouches in UK schools explained. What they cost, how they work, which UK schools use them, and the evidence on whether they actually change behaviour.
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3 June 2026
What age should a child get a phone in the UK?
What age should a child get a phone in the UK? The honest 2026 answer. Different for a basic phone and a smartphone. What the evidence says.
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1 June 2026
Starting a Smartphone Free Childhood group at your school
How to start a Smartphone Free Childhood group at your UK school. How the parent pact works. What the parents who've done it report it took.
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30 May 2026
The Anxious Generation, summarised for UK parents
Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation, summarised for UK parents. The central argument, the four norms, and how it lands here in 2026. Fifteen minutes.
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30 May 2026
The first fortnight without a smartphone: what to expect
Day one is hard, week two is easier, week three is Tuesday. What UK parents say about the first fortnight without a smartphone. Why company matters most.
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28 May 2026
A refurbished iPhone SE for kids: the honest case
A refurbished iPhone SE for a child, the honest case. From £169 at Back Market UK. The Screen Time setup, the case for it, the case against.
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26 May 2026
Is my child addicted to their phone? Signs, evidence and what to do
Signs of phone addiction in UK kids and teens, what the evidence actually says about adolescent overuse, and the things UK parents have tried that help.
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26 May 2026
Back to school 2026: your first-phone checklist
A calm, practical checklist for setting up your child's first phone before term starts: the handset, the SIM, the setup, the rules and the conversation.
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24 May 2026
The best phone for a child who walks to school
Best phone for a child walking to school. Reliable calls, long battery, simplicity. An honest word on tracking. Nokia 3210 or Nokia 235 lead.
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21 May 2026
PAYG vs SIM-only for a child's first phone
Pay as you go or a rolling SIM-only deal for your child's first phone? The real differences in cost, control and convenience, and which suits which family.
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20 May 2026
The DfE February 2024 phone guidance, explained for parents
The DfE February 2024 guidance on phones in UK schools, in plain English. What schools must do, what they may do, and what it means at home.
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19 May 2026
Calls-and-texts-only SIM cards for a child's phone
A SIM with calls and texts but no mobile internet for your child. How to get one, what to look for, the UK options worth knowing. From £4 a month.
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18 May 2026
Why Knock is called Knock
The name is a verb British children used before mobile phones existed. The afternoon Knock would like to make a little easier to come back to.
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17 May 2026
Where to buy a simple phone for kids in the UK
How Knock recommends buying a simple phone for a child in the UK: a single Amazon UK link per handset, with direct links to the brand for everything else.
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15 May 2026
Does the Nokia 3210 have internet or WhatsApp? Honest answers
Can the Nokia 3210 (2024) get on the internet, run WhatsApp or use social media? Clear yes-and-no answers, and exactly what it can and cannot do.
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14 May 2026
Stepping back: what to do when your child already has a smartphone
Your child already has a smartphone and you want out. Harder than not starting. Not impossible. The calm playbook UK families have used.
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12 May 2026
The best phone for a year-six pupil in the UK, 2026
The first pick for UK Year 6 parents, the runners-up, and the reasoning behind each. Built from published UK and US tech reviews.
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12 May 2026
How much screen time should a child have? UK guidance
The UK sets no single screen-time limit, and there is a good reason why. What the official guidance actually says, and a more useful way to think about it.
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10 May 2026
Replacing WhatsApp without your child losing their friends
Practical ways to keep your child in the school social loop when their friends have WhatsApp and they don't. None of them need a smartphone.
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10 May 2026
Is my child addicted to their phone? Signs and what helps
What problematic phone use can look like in children, why 'addiction' is a contested word, and calm, practical steps that help, without panic or shame.
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8 May 2026
How to have the 'no, you're not getting an iPhone' conversation
The twenty-minute version of the conversation. What to say, what to skip, and how to handle the bit that worries you most.
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8 May 2026
How to stop your child using social media, calmly
How to keep your child off social media without a daily battle. Device choices, parental controls, the conversation. Calm, realistic, UK 2026.
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5 May 2026
Alternatives to giving your child a smartphone
Smartphone alternatives for kids UK. Basic and flip phones, GPS watches, parent-controlled devices. The realistic options if you want to wait.
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3 May 2026
Smartwatch vs phone for a child: which should you get?
A children's GPS smartwatch or a basic phone? An honest comparison for younger children, covering calls, location, cost and the age each one suits.
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1 May 2026
Dumb phone vs smartphone for kids: which is right?
A clear, balanced comparison of a basic phone and a smartphone for a child's first phone: cost, safety, the social side, and the cases where each one wins.
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29 April 2026
What a phone-free school day actually looks like
How UK schools run a phone-free day in practice. Off-and-away, hand-in, lockers and Yondr pouches. The exceptions. How to reach your child.
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26 April 2026
Social media age limits in the UK, explained
Minimum age for Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp and YouTube in the UK. Who sets it, what the Online Safety Act changes, the gaps. Plain English.
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24 April 2026
What age should a child get a phone in the UK?
What age should a child get a phone in the UK? No single right age, but the evidence points somewhere. What adults think, what kids own, how to decide.
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22 April 2026
Smartphone Free Childhood: what the Parent Pact is and how to join
A plain guide to the Smartphone Free Childhood movement and its Parent Pact: what it asks, why it works through numbers, and how to take part in the UK.
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20 April 2026
Do school phone bans actually work?
An honest look at what the evidence on school phone bans does and does not show, why parents back them, and what a ban can and cannot do on its own.
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15 April 2026
The 2026 school phone ban, explained for parents
What the new statutory guidance on mobile phones in schools means, when it takes effect, and what it changes for your child. Plain English, with the sources.
no. 03 The phone
Reviews, comparisons and detail on the phones Knock recommends and the ones it does not.
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4 June 2026
GPS trackers for kids, when they make sense (and when a phone doesn't)
GPS trackers and smartwatches for kids, the honest case. When they make sense for under-10s, when a basic phone wins, and what UK parents use.
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24 May 2026
An imagined Year 7 first week with a Nokia 3210, day by day
A day-by-day account of a UK Year 7 first week with a Nokia 3210. A composite, not a single family. The shape of the week, so you know it passes.
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22 May 2026
The Pinwheel Plus, honestly: what published UK reviews and the UK distributor say
Pinwheel Plus for UK parents. £279 plus £13.99 a month. The case for, the case against, drawn from published UK and US reviews.
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16 May 2026
Smartphone alternatives for an 11-year-old in the UK, every option compared
Every UK option for an eleven-year-old who doesn't yet have a smartphone, ranked from cheapest to most considered, with the trade-offs of each.
no. 04 The SIMs
What SIMs work for a child's first phone, the parent-control options, and the price.
More pieces coming on this in the next issue.
no. 05 The first week
Practical pieces about the fortnight after the switch. The objections, the friend-network briefing, the school comms.
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4 June 2026
Apple Screen Time on iPhone, the UK setup walkthrough
Apple Screen Time and Family Sharing for UK parents. The setup walkthrough for a child's iPhone, the limits worth setting, and the honest gotchas.
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4 June 2026
Google Family Link, the UK setup walkthrough
Google Family Link for UK parents, the step-by-step setup for an Android phone or tablet. Account, controls, app limits, location, and the honest gotchas.
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28 May 2026
Child left out of the WhatsApp group, what to do
Your child is not on the class WhatsApp group because they do not have a smartphone. Here is what UK parents have actually done about it, in a useful order.
no. 06 The longer view
Bigger thinking: school policy, the wider movement, what the next two years might look like.
More pieces coming on this in the next issue.
no. 07 A few questions about Notes
How often do you publish?
No fixed schedule. A short note when a simple phone is worth flagging or a piece of UK research is worth reading, and often nothing for weeks. Subscribe at the bottom of any page if you'd like the next one in your inbox.
Can I republish a note?
Yes, with a credit and a link back to the original. Email hello@knockphone.co.uk if you would like to syndicate to a school newsletter or a PTA group.
Where do the statistics come from?
Primary UK sources only: Ofcom, Parentkind, Ipsos, Department for Education, peer-reviewed work where directly relevant. The full citation rules are on /editorial-standards.
Will you write about my school or PTA group?
If your school is doing something specific worth writing about, email hello@knockphone.co.uk. We do not write about every school, but we read every email.
