Gen Z people are opting for ‘dumb phones’ to limit their screen time

People in the Gen Z age bracket are opting for 'dumb phones' to reduce screen time.

We’re all been there. We receive our latest weekly screen time report and are suddenly disgusted with ourselves, even though we love a doom scroll on the gram.

Well, it looks like the younger generation is trying to curb this addiction, as many are turning to dumb phones across the US.

CNBC reported that companies such as HMD Global, the maker of Nokia, continue to sell phones similar to what people used in the early 2000s as more people are seeking a distraction-free environment.

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“I think you can see it with certain Gen Z populations — they’re tired of the screens,” Jose Briones, dumb phone influencer and moderator of the subreddit, ‘r/dumb phones' told the outlet.

“They don’t know what is going on with mental health and they’re trying to make cutbacks.”

Jackie Kates, HMD’s marketing head, also told Goodnet: “We attribute this shift to many smartphone users beginning to recognize they are spending too much time glued to their devices and having a strong desire to disconnect and ‘be fully present’ to improve their quality of social connections.”

According to CNBC, last year, vintage devices, such as flip phones, continued to rise; meanwhile, sales were down for HMD’s latest global feature phone.

The Luddite Club, a group founded by New York City teenagers in 2022, who promote a lifestyle of self-liberation from social media, is partially responsible for this trend gaining traction.

Rather than spending recreational time behind the screen, these teens meet in libraries and parks for face-to-face conversation.

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High schooler Lola Shub, previously a self-described ‘screenager’, said her friend inspired her to ditch her iPhone for a flip phone, as per Business Insider.

Since then, Shrub said that she has more time for creativity and has better concentration.

She added that her friends rarely text and instead will call each other.

"If I have one overarching message for my fellow teenagers, it's this: Spend time getting to know yourself and exploring the world around you," Shub said.

"It's so much more fulfilling — and so much more real — than the one inside your expensive little box."

Jameson Butler also told The New York Times that, since joining the movement, it's helped him realize who his true friends were.

He said: “I’ve weeded out who I want to be friends with. Now it takes work for me to maintain friendships.

"Some reached out when I got off the iPhone and said, ‘I don’t like texting with you anymore because your texts are green.’ That told me a lot.”