On April Fools’ Day, I known as my mother. I instructed her that for a month, I used to be “going flip cellphone” — that means, abandoning my iPhone for one with no entry to social media apps. And no, it wasn’t a joke.
My discontent with my display screen time reached new peaks in late March after a stint in bodily remedy and a string of near-constant wet days.
However first, some context: I stare at screens all day for a residing, and I’m no stranger to life affixed to a pc, palm-sized or not. I grew up within the 2000s, enjoying Neopets and the Sims 2. I later inherited my mother’s busted iPhone 3GS in 2011 as an eighth-grader, and mentioned goodbye to my LG Lotus flip cellphone. I’ve been on Instagram since inside a yr of its launch.
For greater than a decade, I lived by the thought of “good display screen” and “dangerous display screen.” That’s, dangerous display screen is figure/school-related, and good display screen is only for the vibes, like spending an hour or so in a Wikipedia rabbit gap. Good display screen felt like a reclamation of my very own time.
Seems, good display screen is definitely a farce. We didn’t understand it on the time within the 2010s, however elevated use of smartphones and social media was in all probability dangerous for my then-developing mind. In accordance with an October 2024 CDC report, the share of youngsters who had signs of tension or despair was greater amongst these with 4 hours or extra of day by day display screen time.
For me, the choice happened as a result of I spotted that my cellphone was getting in the way in which of doing actually anything. Like going to a espresso store with a buddy. Or enjoying night soccer and getting a drink after. Or internet hosting dinner events. If there’s one factor I’ve discovered whereas working right here alongside Even Higher’s Allie Volpe, the important thing to an excellent life is to get some solar early within the day, do common motion, and socialize usually.
So “dumbphone” it was.
The principles, my boss mentioned, had been easy. I had a $100 funds. (Him: “I imply, it goddamn higher be beneath $100. It gained’t do something.”) And I needed to go the entire manner. That meant I couldn’t change forwards and backwards between telephones. The one exception was utilizing my iPhone for two-factor authentication apps.
“I’m wondering when you’ll have any buddies left over by the top,” my boss, editorial director Bryan Walsh, slacked me. “Or possibly extra since you’ll name them up in your phone. Possibly you’ll get new buddies, higher ones.”
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The strict funds dominated out fancy however nonetheless internet-free dumbphones like the Mild Cellphone my colleague Adam Clark Estes tried out final month. So I first turned to older flip telephones.
My accomplice’s mother and father had an previous Motorola Razr chilling in a drawer, and I had at all times needed one once I was a child (or a T-Cell Sidekick or LG Chocolate). However after hours of making an attempt to determine if the cellphone was appropriate with my provider, I discovered that the infrastructure within the US for 2G connection was shut down this yr. I couldn’t use something that wasn’t no less than 4G. I successfully had to get a brand new cellphone.
Naturally, I stalked the web’s finest useful resource for monetary decision-making: Reddit. I checked out tons of posts on r/dumbphones, and eventually determined to go for the (on the time) $90 HMD Barbie Cellphone. It had maps, texts, and a digicam — however no app retailer. It technically does have web, however it’s so inconceivable to make use of that it would as effectively not be there.
When my buddies heard about my little experiment, they had been apprehensive, thrilled, partially envious, and questioning how on earth we might plan our System 1 race weekend watch events.
I didn’t set any intentional objective of how usually to achieve out to folks or make plans. However within the absence of mindlessly scrolling on Instagram or TikTok, I used to be motivated to achieve out to folks.
Nonetheless, my texts had been very stilted due to the numeric keypad. A few of my buddies had been aggravated about this inside per week. One texted me to ask about my ideas on tariffs, and I replied, “Hmm laborious 2 say.” A couple of hours later, she texted me with some private information that warranted a swift cellphone name. “I can really feel your self restraining your ideas in your texts! But it surely’s good to simply hear your voice proper now,” she mentioned in that decision.
This buddy lives in a unique metropolis, so I don’t get to see her as usually. However as a result of we weren’t seeing what the opposite was as much as on Instagram, we known as one another much more usually than we often would have.
Talking of Instagram…what a double-edged sword! It’s both a black gap of infinite, pointless scrolling or it’s how you discover out in regards to the newest celebration, e book launch occasion, or restaurant opening. I positively missed out on quite a lot of potential hangs by not being on IG, however on the identical time, would I’ve truly spontaneously gone to any of them? I’m not so positive.
I did cheat a bit by opting to textual content buddies through my private laptop at any time when I had the possibility to. This additionally let me take part in some group chats because the Barbie cellphone doesn’t have that functionality.
And I known as my mother far more. That’s saying one thing as a result of I speak to each of my mother and father basically each different day with my regular cellphone. I flew to see my dad in Tennessee and visited my accomplice’s mother and father in Westchester for Easter. I even deliberate an intergenerational return with my grandparents to Puerto Rico for Could.
All in all, I about doubled the variety of in-person hangs, though my reminiscence is a bit fuzzy. I’m somebody who lives and dies by my Google Calendar, and I wasn’t nice at model management between my bodily planner and the g-cal. And I don’t have many picture reminders of what I did.
Nonetheless, I didn’t final a complete month.
I fell two days quick, due to that sporadic journey to Puerto Rico. I needed to order Ubers, seek the advice of spreadsheets, work out entry codes, discover eating places that everybody truly needed to eat at, and be in contact with folks we had been hanging out with. In case you’re a caretaker or in case your work calls for that you simply be on-line 24/7, I’m unsure if a smartphone detox is best for you.
And truthfully, there have been some issues I missed from my common iPhone. Having no music throughout runs made me dread jogging, so I didn’t run for a complete month. I couldn’t scan QR code menus at eating places. If I didn’t have instructions written down someplace, I used to be always anxious about getting misplaced since Google Maps on the Barbie cellphone wasn’t all that. I additionally took fewer images. (Sorry, Dangerous Bunny, I do know I ought to take extra.)
Nonetheless, my life felt extra full due to the burst of spontaneity encouraging deeper connections with my family and friends. My consideration span additionally now not appeared prefer it’s the scale of a small pea. And whereas I didn’t begin this experiment out of concern for my psychological well being, it did assist me really feel extra socially linked, one thing that places folks at much less danger for despair.
I’m now way more deliberate in valuing off-the-cuff hangs. Simply final week, I went to a bar to observe the Knicks sport, and known as a buddy who I haven’t seen in a couple of months. And sure, it was on the Barbie cellphone.
A model of this story initially appeared within the Future Good e-newsletter. Enroll right here!
