RENO-SPARKS, Nev. (KOLO) – Two local moms are leading a grassroots movement that supports and encourages Washoe County parents to wait until at least the end of 8th grade to give their children smartphones.
Called “Wait Until 8th”, this national parent-led movement is on fire in other states, but seeing that it did not yet have a presence here in Nevada, Brandi Vesco of Sparks and Larissa Viner of Reno formed “Wait Until 8th Reno-Sparks” and began a word-of-mouth outreach campaign in November 2025.
Since piloting the program, the two moms have reached out to all 66 traditional K-5 principals in the Washoe County School District to see if they will share information about Wait Until 8th with their students’ families. Next up are the middle-school principals…