An increasing number of people are trading in their smartphones for “dumb phones” that only call and text to avoid being in “zombie mode.”
These simple devices have skyrocketed in popularity, with 2.8 million sold in the United States last year. claiming to feel calmer and more present in their daily lives.
A California woman told DailyMail.com she made the switch after realizing she spent the entire summer on her smartphone and said she barely remembered the time; She even forgot where she walked her dog.
Caroline Cadwell explained that switching to a dumb phone was not practical at first, but then became liberating.
“I would describe it as space and time. It’s amazing how much your relationships can gain if you give them up,” she said.
An increasing number of people are opting to ditch smartphones for “dumb phones” that only call and text to avoid being in “zombie mode.” The simple devices have skyrocketed in popularity, with industry experts predicting U.S. sales will reach 2.8 million by the end of the year.
Companies like Dumbwireless are selling simple devices to addicted smartphone users, and a growing number of anti-smartphone organizations are trying to curb the use of these devices, particularly among children.
Activists point to statistics such as that the arrival of smartphones appears to have coincided with a rise in rates of depression and anxiety, which rose more than 50 percent between 2010 and 2019.
Cadwell spent 15 years working at high-growth startups in Barcelona and San Francisco before leaving a job due to burnout and realizing his smartphone was the problem.
“I quit a job because I was exhausted and spent almost three months in what I would describe as zombie mode,” she said.
‘It was summer and I barely remember it: I didn’t do anything. It was when I was almost over this time and feeling better that I started to reflect on what aspects of my burnout were under my control, and the biggest contributing factor was the lack of boundaries at work.
Previously I had felt the need to be available at all times, even for calls at 11 at night.
But Cadwell realized the depth of her addiction when she couldn’t remember where she had walked her dog because she was answering Slack messages all the time.
He said switching to a dumb phone was impractical at first, but then became liberating.
Caroline Cadwell told DailyMail.com she made the switch after realising she spent the entire summer on her smartphone and said she could barely remember the time – she even forgot where she walked her dog.
“I would describe it as space and time. It’s amazing how much your relationships can gain if you give them up,” Cadwell said.
It has launched a product called Unpluq, which locks apps on smartphones so people can use them in healthier ways.
Cadwell said users are spending an average of 72 fewer minutes per day on their phones.
“I think people are starting to pay attention on a large scale to the dangers of social media and smartphones; I think very few would say that they are GOOD for us, 100%, or that social media is ONLY good,” he continued . .
“Is there room for more people to act more? Of course, and we’re starting to see it, but I think the younger generations will be the ones leading the way and adopting a different relationship with their smartphones from the beginning.”
Stay-at-home mom and freelance editor Christina Dinur switched to a ‘dumb phone’ after being inspired by a friend who had given up her smartphone because it distracted her from her kids.
“I had been feeling the same way for a while, but I wasn’t sure what to do about it. I wasn’t managing to set healthy boundaries around my smartphone use, but getting a dumb phone seemed pretty radical,” said Milwaukee woman Dinur.
“Talking to my friend about her experience gave me the courage I needed to finally make this change.”
Dinur went on to explain that he was inspired by reading Jonathan Haidt’s book ‘The Anxious Generation’, which links the advent of smartphones to an increase in anxiety in young people.
“The book convinced me that children should not have smartphones or social media, but the elephant in the room was my own smartphone addiction,” she said.
“I didn’t see how I could say ‘no’ when my kids started asking me for a smartphone if they saw me glued to it all the time. Getting a dumb phone solved that problem.”
Christina Dinur, a stay-at-home mom and freelance editor, switched to a “dumb phone” after being inspired by a friend who had given up her smartphone because it distracted her from her kids.
Not having a smartphone has been easier than anticipated, Dinur said, and he hasn’t regretted it at all, even when he has to jot down instructions on a notepad before leaving the house.
‘I feel so relieved. I really struggled with self-control with my smartphone. “I used to take out my phone constantly to check my email and social media, even though there was rarely anything interesting to see there,” the mother explained.
“With the dumb phone, I no longer have that option and it’s a relief. I feel much calmer and more present with the physical world around me, especially with my children.”
Dinur said he still uses social media on a laptop, but he only checks it a few times a day instead of constantly.
“Even when I log in for the first time after many hours, there is rarely anything interesting to see there, which really makes me understand that it was a waste of time to check it dozens of times a day on my smartphone,” she continued.
Dinur explained that giving up his smartphone has increased his attention span and he is reading more books and spending more time with his family.
She is now part of the Smartphone Free Childhood US movement and is making sure her children, aged three and five, don’t grow up with unhealthy digital habits.
Smartphone Free Childhood operates through WhatsApp groups in many US states and is working with local government and school boards to limit smartphone use by children.
“Many adults don’t have the healthiest relationship with their smartphones, so why would we think these devices would be beneficial for children, whose brains and impulse control are still developing?” Dinur said.
Stephen Kurczy, author of The Quiet Zone, traveled to Green Bank, Virginia, a town with no cell phone coverage because of nearby radio telescopes, and noticed that it was clear that many people were experiencing a “withdrawal.”
Stephen Kurczy with his son in Green Bank, Virginia: the “quiet zone”
Stephen Kurczy, author of ‘The Quiet Zone’, travelled to Green Bank, Virginia (a town with no cell phone coverage due to nearby radio telescopes) and noticed that it was clear that many people were experiencing ‘withdrawal symptoms’.
The book examines our relationships with smartphones through the prism of a city where any wireless transmission is strictly monitored.
“While working on ‘The Quiet Zone,’ I spoke to many people and heard stories from many more people who experienced smartphone-like symptoms when they visited Green Bank, West Virginia, where by law there is no cell service,” he said.
“Younger people seem to break out in hives when they realise their phones aren’t working,” one local told me.
‘Even after visitors are informed that there is no cell service in the Quiet Zone, they instinctively tend to keep checking their devices, like an uncontrollable tic.
“And there’s research to support that idea: People touch their smartphones more than 2,600 times a day.”
While writing the book, Kurczy said his wife continually checked her iPhone until, after about a week, she began to adjust to the slower pace of life.
“It was liberating for her,” he said.
Kurczy personally has not given up on owning a smartphone, because he has never owned one.
‘It’s a way to create a little peace of mind in my life. Plenty of research now shows that humans are happier and more productive if we’re not online all the time. “I understand that a lot of people need to have smartphones for work or whatever,” the author explained.
“But I’ve found a way to live without one, and I want others to have that option too… I have two kids now, I’ll be damned if they get phones anytime soon.”
He opted to never own a smartphone because he found it quite difficult to set limits on his laptop use.
“I know I wouldn’t have the willpower to resist excessive use of a smartphone,” Kurczy said.
‘Just today, for example, I was cooling off in a pond with my two children and decided it would be nice to buy a new beach rake.
“If I had a smartphone at the time, I would have logged into Amazon and started searching for the best rake, and I would have quickly gotten lost in a wormhole of rakes, texts, emails, news alerts… Fortunately, I was able to live in the moment with my children. Generally, it is very difficult to be in the moment.
“Smartphones make it much more difficult.”