Adults and Teens Ditch Smartphones for Dumbphones
As concerns about screen time and mental health rise, more adults and teens are switching from smartphones to simpler "dumbphones" to combat addiction and improve their quality of life.
As concerns about screen time and mental health rise, more adults and teens are turning in their smartphones for simpler "dumbphones" to combat addiction and improve their quality of life.
Buried in the settings of many smartphones is the option to check your average daily screen time. This often leads to an uncomfortable realization that a device intended to be useful has become an obsession.
“Social media is built around FOMO (fear of missing out), so I felt like I couldn’t get off it,” 16-year-old Luke Martin from Canada told the BBC. “Instantly I got Instagram and it was a downward spiral.”
Luke is not alone. A Harvard University study found that using social networking sites activates the same part of the brain as addictive substances, raising concerns about phone habits among youth. In the UK, Ofcom estimates that around a quarter of children aged five to seven now have their own smartphone. Some studies have linked social media use to negative effects on mental health, especially in children.
In response, some campaigners advocate for age limits on smartphone use. Others, like Luke, are choosing to swap their smartphones for simpler devices, known as “dumbphones.” These phones offer basic functions like texts, calls, and maps but lack features like social media.
“My friends’ usage is like four to five hours I think, and that’s how much mine used to be before I got this,” Luke said. “Now mine’s like 20 minutes a day which is really good because I only use it for what I need it for.”
Parents are also turning to dumbphones, both for their children and themselves, to be more present with their families. Lizzy Broughton, who has a five-year-old son, recently bought an old-school Nokia “flip” phone. “It helped me recalibrate my own habits, I have way more quality time with my son,” she explained. She plans to give her son a similar phone when it’s time for him to get his own.
Sales of dumbphones are rising in North America. At Dumbwireless in Los Angeles, store-owners Daisy Krigbaum and Will Stults cater to customers looking for low-tech devices. “We have a lot of parents looking to get their kid that first phone, and they don’t want them drifting off on the internet,” Will Stults said. However, giving up smartphones can be challenging as some schools require specific apps, and children often see their friends with expensive smartphones.
“It’s going to require a community of parents to actually be like, can we do this differently?” Broughton said. One solution is a device called “unpluq,” which blocks certain apps wirelessly and allows parents to monitor usage.
Several phones have been developed to help users avoid mindless scrolling. Chris Kaspar founded Techless to create an “intentionally boring” but sleek device resembling an iPhone. The latest version, the “Wisephone II,” has no icons, just words, and limited third-party tools like Uber but no social media. “We’re asking this question—what’s actually good for us?” Kaspar said.
Kaspar initially developed the phone for his teenage foster daughters and says 25% of their sales are to children, though it’s marketed to adults. “If you have a phone that’s branded as a kids’ device there’s some shame associated with that. So we made a very adult, sophisticated, Apple-esque, really nice device,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Luke is committed to his new device. “They think it’s pretty weird but at this point I’m like it doesn’t really matter because it’s helped me so much,” he said. “It’s definitely taken me into a better spot right now.
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