What I realized after switching to a flip cellphone for a month

[ad_1] On April Fools’ Day, I known as my mother. I informed 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 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, taking part in Neopets and the Sims 2. I later inherited my mother’s busted iPhone 3GS in 2011 as an eighth-grader, and stated goodbye to my LG Lotus flip phone . I’ve been on Instagram since inside a 12 months of its launch.

<img alt="Meme that says tired of lookin gat a bad screen? Can’t wait to get home to look at a good screen" data-chromatic="ignore" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="mvmjsc0" style="position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='/%3E%3C/svg%3E")" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px" srcset="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=256 256w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=376 376w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=384 384w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=415 415w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=480 480w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=540 540w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=640 640w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=750 750w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=828 828w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1080 1080w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1200 1200w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1440 1440w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1920 1920w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2048 2048w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400 2400w" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400"/> For greater than a decade, I lived by the thought of “good display” and “dangerous display.” That's, dangerous display is figure/school-related, and good display is only for the vibes, like spending an hour or so in a Wikipedia rabbit hole . Good display felt like a reclamation of my very own time.

Seems, good display is definitely a farce. We didn’t comprehend it on the time within the 2010s, however elevated use of smartphones and social media was probably bad for my then-developing brain . In response to an October 2024 CDC report, the share of youngsters who had signs of hysteria or melancholy was greater amongst these with 4 hours or extra of every day display time.

<img alt="A bar chart showing higher anxiety and depression symptoms in people with more screen time." data-chromatic="ignore" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="mvmjsc0" style="position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='/%3E%3C/svg%3E")" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px" srcset="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=256 256w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=376 376w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=384 384w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=415 415w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=480 480w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=540 540w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=640 640w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=750 750w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=828 828w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1080 1080w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1200 1200w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1440 1440w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1920 1920w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2048 2048w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400 2400w" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/db513-fig4.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400"/> Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention

For me, the choice happened as a result of I spotted that my cellphone was getting in the way in which of doing actually the rest. Like going to a espresso store with a good friend. Or taking part in night soccer and getting a drink after. Or internet hosting dinner events. If there’s one factor I’ve realized whereas working right here alongside Even Better’s Allie Volpe , the important thing to an excellent life is to get some solar early within the day, do common motion, and socialize typically.

So “dumbphone” it was.

The foundations, my boss stated, have been easy. I had a $100 finances. (Him: “I imply, it goddamn higher be below $100. It gained’t do something.”) And I needed to go the entire method. That meant I couldn’t change backwards and forwards between telephones. The one exception was utilizing my iPhone for two-factor authentication apps.

“I'm wondering if you happen to’ll have any mates left over by the tip,” my boss, editorial director Bryan Walsh, slacked me. “Or possibly extra since you’ll name them up in your phone. Perhaps you’ll get new mates, higher ones.”

Join here to discover the massive, difficult issues the world faces and essentially the most environment friendly methods to unravel them. Despatched twice per week.

The strict finances dominated out fancy however nonetheless internet-free dumbphones like the Light Phone my colleague Adam Clark Estes tried out last month . So I first turned to older flip telephones.

My accomplice’s dad and mom had an outdated Motorola Razr chilling in a drawer, and I had at all times needed one once I was a child (or a T-Mobile Sidekick or LG Chocolate ). However after hours of making an attempt to determine if the cellphone was appropriate with my provider, I realized that the infrastructure within the US for 2G connection was shut down this year . I couldn’t use something that wasn’t not less than 4G. I successfully had to get a brand new cellphone.

Naturally, I stalked the web’s finest useful resource for financial decision-making: Reddit . I checked out tons of posts on r/dumbphones , and at last determined to go for the (on the time) $90 HMD Barbie Phone . It had maps, texts, and a digital camera — however no app retailer. It technically does have web, however it's so inconceivable to make use of that it would as properly not be there.

When my mates heard about my little experiment, they have been anxious, thrilled, partially envious, and questioning how on earth we'd plan our System 1 race weekend watch events.

I didn’t set any intentional aim of how typically to succeed in out to folks or make plans. However within the absence of mindlessly scrolling on Instagram or TikTok, I used to be motivated to succeed in out to folks.

Nonetheless, my texts have been very stilted due to the numeric keypad. A few of my mates have been aggravated about this inside per week. One texted me to ask about my ideas on tariffs, and I replied, “Hmm laborious 2 say.” Just a few 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 only hear your voice proper now,” she stated in that decision.

This good friend lives in a unique metropolis, so I don’t get to see her as typically. 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 typically than we normally 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 get together, guide launch occasion, or restaurant opening. I positively missed out on loads of potential hangs by not being on IG, however on the similar time, would I've really spontaneously gone to any of them? I’m not so positive.

I did cheat a bit by opting to textual content mates through my private laptop each time I had the possibility to. This additionally let me take part in some group chats for the reason that 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 dad and mom primarily each different day with my regular cellphone. I flew to see my dad in Tennessee and visited my accomplice’s dad and mom 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 whole month.

I fell two days brief, because of that sporadic journey to Puerto Rico. I needed to order Ubers, seek the advice of spreadsheets, determine entry codes, discover eating places that everybody really needed to eat at, and be in contact with folks we have been hanging out with. In case you’re a caretaker or in case your work calls for that you just be on-line 24/7, I’m undecided if a smartphone detox is best for you.

And actually, 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 whole month. I couldn’t scan QR code menus at eating places. If I didn’t have instructions written down someplace, I used to be constantly anxious about getting lost since Google Maps on the Barbie cellphone wasn’t all that. I additionally took fewer pictures. (Sorry, Unhealthy Bunny, I know I should take more .)

Nonetheless, my life felt extra full due to the burst of spontaneity encouraging deeper connections with my family and friends. My attention span additionally now not appeared prefer it’s the dimensions 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 less risk for depression .

I’m now far more deliberate in valuing off-the-cuff hangs. Simply final week, I went to a bar to look at the Knicks recreation, and known as a good friend who I haven’t seen in just a few months. And sure, it was on the Barbie cellphone.

A model of this story initially appeared within the Future Good e-newsletter. Sign up here!

You’ve learn 1 article within the final month

Right here at Vox, we're unwavering in our dedication to protecting the problems that matter most to you — threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the atmosphere, and the rising polarization throughout this nation.

Our mission is to offer clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to remain knowledgeable and engaged in shaping our world. By changing into a Vox Member, you immediately strengthen our means to ship in-depth, unbiased reporting that drives significant change.