The event will see experts gather in Echuca to speak about the dangers and impacts of the online world on youth.
The Phone Pledge group, made up of local parents, has been advocating for parents to consider delaying their children’s access to smartphones and social media.
Committee member Steph Chalis said local interest in the group had grown in the past year.
“Since we started, it's probably over 12 months ago now, we've done a few school talks to parents, and so we're slowly building up a following,” she said.
“We’re never trying to tell our parents what to do. We are just trying to start conversations, and we've done so much research in this space, we want to pass on that knowledge.
“More people around town have heard of us, and we’re hoping that this event really pushes it to the front of people's minds.”
Despite the event being announced only just over a week ago, 230 tickets have already been sold.
The night will begin with parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson, who will deliver his ‘Unplugged Childhood’ presentation, which offers parents practical strategies to protect children’s wellbeing in today’s digital world.
SmackTalk founder Wayne Holdsworth will follow with a powerful talk about online threats and suicide risk, a cause deeply personal to him after losing his son to sextortion.
Mr Holdsworth will also touch on the impact it has had on his family and the purpose of his charity.
In the second half of the night, Ms Chalis will facilitate a panel discussion with neuroscientist Dr Mike Williams, local mental health social worker Tracy Farrell and Mr Coulson.
While the first part of the night will be best suited for parents of younger children, the second part will cater to parents of older kids who may already have their own devices and social media.
Ms Chalis said with community support, parents could delay the impacts of social media and mobile phones that are affecting today’s young people.
“We’re a group of local parents who have decided to delay smartphones and social media for our kids for as long as humanly possible, and we know that doing that in isolation is too hard,” she said.
“It’s hard for the parents, it’s hard for the kids, and so we’re trying to get as many locals on board as possible to do it together.
“People are talking about it more than they have in the past and the government social media minimum age bill is coming in on the 10th of December, so I think people are starting to think about that and how that might impact their kids.”
The event will be held on Wednesday, September 10 at the Moama Bowling Club from 7pm until 9pm.
Tickets to the event can be purchased at tinyurl.com/4fts7sxh
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