By Emma Vardy,
LA Correspondent, BBC News
In a digital age where screen time is increasingly consuming our lives, a growing number of adults and teens are opting to switch from their smartphones to simpler “dumbphones” to reduce their screen time. This trend reflects a broader desire to combat the addictive nature of modern technology and reclaim time for more meaningful activities.
The rise of dumbphones
Buried in the settings of many smartphones is a feature that tracks how much time users spend staring at their screens each day. For many, the results are startling, revealing an unhealthy obsession with these devices. This realisation has spurred individuals like 16-year-old Luke Martin from Canada to seek simpler alternatives.
“Social media is built around FOMO (fear of missing out), so I felt like I couldn’t get off it,” Luke told the BBC. “Instantly I got Instagram and it was a downward spiral.”
Luke’s experience is not unique. A Harvard University study found that using social networking sites activates the same brain regions as addictive substances, raising concerns about the impact of phone habits, especially among youth.
The impact on mental health
In the UK, research by Ofcom estimates that around a quarter of children aged five to seven now own a smartphone. Studies have linked social media use with negative mental health effects, particularly in children. This has led some campaigners to call for age limits on smartphone use.
Luke decided to switch to a dumbphone, a device limited to basic functions like texts, calls, and maps. “My friends’ usage is like four to five hours I think, and that’s how much mine used to be before I got this,” he 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 and the dumbphone trend
Parents are also adopting dumbphones, both for their children and themselves, to foster more presence in their families. Lizzy Broughton, a mother of a five-year-old, recently purchased 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 similarly simple phone when he’s older. “It doesn’t feel like the best idea to just start with a smartphone,” she said. “It’s like we’re handing over the world, like try to figure out how to navigate that.”
The market for dumbphones
Sales of dumbphones are rising in North America. At Dumbwireless in Los Angeles, store-owners Daisy Krigbaum and Will Stults cater to customers seeking 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,” Stults said.
However, giving up smartphones can be challenging. Schools often require certain apps, and children might feel peer pressure to have the latest devices. “It’s going to require a community of parents to actually be like, can we do this differently?” Broughton said.
One innovative solution is “unpluq,” a device that blocks certain apps wirelessly, allowing parents to control smartphone usage and monitor it.
New devices for a new demand
Several new phones are designed specifically for users wanting to avoid mindless scrolling. Chris Kaspar, founder of Techless, developed the “Wisephone II,” an “intentionally boring” yet sleek device. “It has no icons, just words, two colours, and two fonts,” Kaspar said. The phone supports essential functions like Uber but excludes social media.
Kaspar developed the phone with his teenage foster daughters in mind and says 25% of sales are to children, although it is 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.
With major tech companies profiting billions from apps and social media advertisements, there’s little incentive for them to promote less addictive habits. However, individuals like Luke are finding that switching to dumbphones brings significant benefits. “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.”
For more detailed information, visit the full article by Emma Vardy on the BBC News website here.