Introducing our new talks partner: Papaya

[.style-intro]We’ve joined forces with Papaya Talks – a brilliant grassroots charity helping families navigate smartphones and screens with confidence and hope. Together, we’re bringing more expert-led talks to schools and communities across the UK – sparking real conversations that lead to change.[.style-intro]

You may have heard of Papaya already. You may have even been to one of their talks. But even if you haven’t, we’re pretty sure you’ll love what they do – because they care about exactly the same things we do:

Helping families navigate the digital age with confidence, connection and hope.

We’ve been working on this partnership behind the scenes all year. And now it’s official: we’re proud to be calling Papaya our official talks partner – and we couldn’t be more excited to be working together.

Who are Papaya?

Papaya (which stands for Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adults) was founded by Dr Susie Davies, a GP who became increasingly concerned about the effects of smartphones on young people she was seeing in her clinic, and decided to do something about it.

She started giving talks in schools around Bristol, and over the years those talks started spreading, eventually reaching thousands of families and hundreds of schools across Bristol and the South West.

But until recently, they were still doing it all on a shoestring, with a tiny team and very little support.

Then this year, something clicked. As Smartphone Free Childhood caught fire and requests for talks started flooding in, we realised we were building different parts of the same engine.

So instead of duplicating efforts, we joined forces.

A partnership with purpose

We get requests every single day from people asking if SFC can give a talk in their school. And we totally get why – if you’ve ever been to a locally-organised SFC community event or a Papaya talk, you’ll know how transformative real-life conversations about this issue can be.

Having someone in the room – speaking calmly, clearly and without judgement – can be one of the best ways to bring new people into this conversation.

At SFC, that’s exactly what we’re here to do. Because if we want things to change, we have to create that change ourselves – together.

If we’re going to fundamentally shift the culture around kids and smartphones, we believe every community across the UK deserves access to the kind of high-quality, expert-led talk Papaya can deliver.

So partnering felt like a natural step.

New Papaya: ready to scale

Over the past few months, we’ve supported Papaya with a total rebrand – helping them shift from a small but brilliant charity with a strong talks offer… to what we hope will become the UK’s go-to provider of expert-led talks for families navigating the digital age.

Their new name, Papaya Talks, reflects that specialism.

We’ve helped with a new website too – telling their story much more clearly and making it far easier for families and schools to book a Papaya talk.

And crucially, we’ve helped secure access to funding so Papaya can grow their speaker network. That means more trained speakers, more schools and communities reached, and more families across the country given the chance to hear practical, hopeful solutions at exactly the moment they’re needed.

Two routes into the conversation

Thousands of you have already used our SFC parent-to-parent presentation – giving talks in your own schools, kicking off conversations locally, and helping other parents feel less alone.

It’s been phenomenal to see so many of you step up and start conversations using those slides, and they’re still almost always the best place to start. In fact, we’re working on a shiny new update to that presentation to make it even easier to use, even for less-confident speakers – look out for that very soon.

But we also know that when it comes to events for larger groups of parents – especially ones covering multiple schools – or in communities that might be less receptive to the SFC message, an expert-led talk can be a game-changer. That’s where Papaya comes in.

So from today, we’re proud to be calling Papaya our official talks partner – and we’ll be working closely with them to expand their reach to more schools, families and communities across the UK.

Whether it’s a parent talk or a KS2 workshop for upper primary pupils, Papaya’s sessions are practical, evidence-informed, and designed to spark honest conversations that lead to real change.

The bigger picture

We think this is a win-win for the whole movement.

Because when we join forces – when grassroots groups support each other, share resources and pool energy – we all get stronger. Different people, playing different roles, pulling in the same direction.

We’re proud to be backing Papaya as they step into this exciting new phase. And we’re just as proud to be part of a community full of parents, carers, teachers and organisers who are out there, making change happen every day.

This partnership is one example of how we think we can go further, together. By building trusted, aligned relationships – and staying focused on what we do best – we can turn isolated conversations into something bigger, bolder and more powerful.

Because real, lasting change won’t come from the top down.

It will come from people like us – backing each other, organising locally, and showing there’s another way.

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Want to book a talk?

If you’re part of a school or community that’s ready to open up this conversation, Papaya Talks is ready for you.

Their talks are warm, honest, engaging and packed with practical advice for parents, whether their child has a smartphone already or they’re considering delaying.

And their new booking process is refreshingly simple.

You can explore availability for your region, book a talk, or find out more here:

papayatalks.com‍

Happy booking – and here’s to the next chapter of this magical movement we’re building together.