Should You Use a Dumbphone?

Australia Broadcast Center

4 days ago

JOE BARONIO, REPORTER: How old were you when you got your first smartphone?
PERSON: I think I was 12.
PERSON: 14.
PERSON: I think maybe 12 or so, 11 or 12.
PERSON: When I was 12.
PERSON: I was 13.
PERSON: I think I was 12.
Yeah, if you were born in the past two generations, you've probably grown up with smartphones. In fact, a study from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in 2023 found that more than half of 10 to 13-year-olds and more than 90% of 14 to 17-year-olds owned a mobile phone. And, according to Redsearch, globally 13 to 19-year-olds spent around 7 1/2 hours on average per day looking at their screens.
PERSON: I think I use it around 4 hours a day.
PERSON: I think like 7 hours a day.
PERSON: Two to five hours a day sometimes.
PERSON: Probably 5-6 hours a day.
PERSON: A lot, yeah, a lot.
PERSON: Because a lot of the like the platforms I use like Instagram can be a little like addictive, sort of like it's hard for me to put it down.
JAMESON, THE LUDDITE CLUB: Despite all the times my parents tried to warn me and try to limit my screen time, it wasn't until I reached the conclusion that my phone had been harming me and my wellbeing that I really decided to do something about it.
This is Jameson and she is the co-founder of the Luddite Club in New York. The name Luddite actually comes from the 19th century. Back then, textile workers in England formed a rebellion, raided factories and destroyed machines they believed were threatening their livelihoods. During the industrial revolution. The idea for these Luddites is kind of the same without the destroying part. Instead ditching smartphones in favour of dumb phones, or feature phones, and promoting the conscious consumption of technology.
JAMESON: My sleep schedule was off the charts, I was staying up until 3:00 AM. I was staying in my room, you know, on my phone. And I just, I felt bad, but I didn't really consider any option. I didn't feel there any options of ways to combat that.
Jameson isn't alone. A new study published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities surveyed 100,000 generation Z's from around the world about their smartphone experiences. It found that for every year before the age of 13 that a person got a smartphone, their long-term mental health and wellbeing was worse, often leading to suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, poorer emotional regulation and low self-worth.
PERSON: I remember in year 10 I was really at my lowest and I think that social media was like the significant contributing factor to it.
PERSON: I started really young, so I think because I also had social media, so when you start comparing yourself to those people there, I think it's really bad.
PERSON: There's many issues like attention span because like even myself like sometimes in class I just doze off cause like I just can't like spend that much time looking at the board and like it was related to mental health as well like bullying as well and all that.
JAMESON: Honestly, since I've gotten rid of my smartphone, I definitely spend more quality time with my family. I'm more present at family dinners. I do my schoolwork faster, I have better grades, I've become a lot less scatterbrained, and I've just become a lot more driven and ambitious.
While smartphone luddism is a growing trend among teens in places like the US and Europe, I wanted to find out if any young Aussies are getting involved. So, I set up a table at the University of Adelaide to find out.
Do any of you guys use dumb phones? You do? Nope. Anybody? Dumb phone? Was this a dumb idea? Maybe it was. In half an hour being here nobody's come, and that probably tells us something about how many people, young people do actually use these phones.
PERSON: Excuse me. Hello. Can you just take photographs of us?
Sure. I don't suppose you know anyone who uses one of these phones, do you?
PERSON: What is that?
This is this is a dumb phone. So, like one of these really old phones that doesn't have like apps or anything on it. You know anyone who does?
PERSON: Yeah, this is too old.
Too old? Fair enough. There you go. Should we move? I don't suppose you know anyone who uses a phone like this do you? No? Didn't think so. Well, we've been here about an hour, and nobody has even known anyone who's used one of these, so I'm gonna need to look elsewhere.
Do any of you know anybody who uses a phone like this?
PERSON: Yes, yes, yes. Carlos, a friend of ours in year 11.
So, a young person actually uses it?
PERSON: Yeah, but well, the motivation was a bit different because his phone got taken away.
Oh.
PERSON: No, not anymore, no.
PERSON: No, never.
PERSON: No, I don't know anyone.
PERSON: No.
PERSON: No.
PERSON: No.
PERSON: No.
PERSON: No, that's back in the old days.
DR MICHAEL CARR-GREGG, CHILD PHYSCHOLOGIST: It's certainly not something that my clients are doing here in Australia. In fact, I can honestly put my hand on my heart and say I don't have one who's doing that?
Doctor Michael Carr Gregg is a child psychologist, and he wrote the original report recommending phone bans in schools back in 2018, which has since been adopted in all state and territory public schools. But when it comes to smartphone use outside of the classroom, he doesn't see the Luddite trend taking off here any time soon.
DR MICHAEL CARR-GREGG: And that's because really the way in which my clients communicate with one another is through social media and therefore the smartphone is absolutely essential. It is the lifeblood of my clients to be with their friends. And developmentally, that's very appropriate.
PERSON: I think it's just a matter of just like people being a little bit more like addicted to like online content.
PERSON: I think there's a big fear of missing out. It's like if people aren't connected with their screens and like social media and stuff they like, can't see what other people are posting or doing on it.
PERSON: A lot of my friends like live in different places throughout the world and I wouldn't be able to call them on a phone like that.
What if the smartphone ban was enforced, though? One of the recommendations in the Journal of Human Development and Capability study is to implement graduated access restrictions for smartphones, keeping anyone under 13 from having one.
PERSON: It's just probably for the better in future life so, yeah.
PERSON: I think not for smartphones as a whole because I feel like it's important to have the communication when like, you're not with your parents and stuff.
PERSON: 13 is past that age where you sort of enter high school and that phase, that sort of culture, I feel like phones are a big part of socialising and that sort of connection that many people rely on, so I think, I think it's a bit harsh.
At the moment the recommendation is just a recommendation, but it's one that psychologists like Doctor Michael say should be considered by both parents and young people.
DR MICHAEL CARR-GREGG: Age, of course, doesn't define maturity, but the law requires it to be a particular age. For me, I think the restriction under 13 will impact on young peoples's social life, but I think that we can find a work around.
Would you guys ever give it a go? Ditching your smartphone for that?
PERSON: Yeah. Yeah, I'm down.
PERSON: Maybe it would be like a nice experiment to try.
PERSON: I'd probably struggle to, but I would maybe give it a try, like just to improve my mental health and stuff like that.
PERSON: Yeah, I think I would, I definitely think. I would, yeah.
PERSON: Yeah, I would.
PERSON: 100% cause like I'm I'm just way too addicted, you know.