Image source, Getty Images
- Author, Emma Vardy
- Role, LA Correspondent, BBC News
Adults and teens concerned about their screen time are turning in their smartphones for “dumb” models.
Hidden in the settings of many smartphones is the option to look up how much you stare at your phone on average per day.
It can bring an uncomfortable realization that what should have been a useful piece of technology has become an obsession.
“Social media is built around FOMO (fear of missing out), so I felt like I couldn’t get rid of it,” 16-year-old Luke Martin from Canada told the BBC.
“I immediately got Instagram and it was a downward spiral.”
According to a Harvard University study, using social networking sites relieves the same part of the brain that is activated when taking an addictive drug. This has raised concerns about telephone behavior among young people.
In Britain, Ofcom research estimates that around a quarter of children aged five to seven now have their own smartphone.
Some studies have shown links between social media use and negative effects on mental health, especially in children.
His new phone only has text messages, calls, maps and a few other limited tools.
“I think my friends use about four to five hours, and that’s how much mine used before I got this,” he said.
“Mine now is about 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, not only for their children, but also to be more present for their families.
Lizzy Broughton, who has a five-year-old son, recently bought an old-fashioned Nokia ‘flip’ phone.
“It’s helped me recalibrate my own habits. I have a lot more quality time with my son,” she explained.
She says that when the time comes for him to get his own phone, she will choose a similarly plain model.
“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, and trying to figure out how to navigate it.”
Sales of dumbphones have increased in North America. At Dumbwireless in Los Angeles, store owners Daisy Krigbaum and Will Stults serve customers looking for low-tech devices.
“We have a lot of parents who want to give their child their first phone, and they don’t want them wandering off to the Internet,” he said.
But giving up the smartphone is easier said than done. Mr Stults said some schools require students to have certain apps. And it’s hard to keep the line when children see their friends getting expensive smartphones, says Ms Broughton.
“It takes a community of parents to actually think: can we do this differently?” she said.
One solution is a device called ‘unpluq’, which allows you to tap the phone to wirelessly block certain apps, such as social media.
“Parents can operate the smartphone with this tag and also monitor its use,” says Stults.
There are several phones now designed specifically for users who want to avoid an addiction to mindless scrolling.
Chris Kaspar founded the company Techless to develop an “intentionally boring” but sleek device that looks a lot like an iPhone. The latest version is called “Wisephone II”.
“It has no icons, just words, two colors and two fonts.” He describes it as “very peaceful, very quiet.”
It will have some limited third-party tools, such as the Uber taxi application, but no social media.
“We ask this question: what is actually good for us?” said Mr Kaspar.
He first developed the phone with his teenage foster daughters in mind and says 25% of their sales are to children, but it is marketed to adults.
“If you have a phone that is branded as a children’s device, there is some shame associated with that. So we created a very mature, sophisticated, Apple-like, very beautiful device,” he said.
With revenues from social media apps and ads reaching billions of dollars, big companies have little incentive to encourage different habits, he said.
Meanwhile, Canadian teen Luke says he plans to stick with his new device, much to the amusement of friends.
“They think it’s kind of weird, but at this point I don’t think it really matters because it’s helped me so much,” he said.
“It’s definitely taken me to a better place now.”