As school districts across the United States and Canada initiate bans on smartphones at schools, parents are also getting more serious about reducing screen time for their children. In the United Kingdom and the E.U., phone maker HMD has launched a new Barbie-themed flip phone with no self-facing camera, and only voice or text communications, no video or internet connectivity.

The Barbie phone is a brick, reports the BBC, “because of its very limited functionality.” No apps, no social media, one game. The market for “low digital impact phones” — also called “dumbphones” — could reach 400,000 units in the U.K. this year, according to one industry analyst. In the U.S., dumbphones were estimated to be 15% of cellular phone users in 2021.

A survey of dumphone users published in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction interviewed 13 adult users of dumbphones, and the findings “dispute the notion that increased communication leads to richer interpersonal interaction.” Some of the reasons people gave for not using smartphones include:

• digital detox or digital disconnect
• conflicts with their religion
• desire for privacy
• limits distraction
• avoids social media

Five of the 13 subjects were using “designer dumbphones” that allowed access only to a limited number of apps, such as navigation. The authors of the survey are optimistic about the ability of designer dumbphones to spread despite their limitations:

Designer dumbphones present the case for a clear and continued customer base for dumbphones. The particular combination of features, durability, and price [suggests] that their users have both the material funds and agency to acquire and use these devices and do so out of a clear desire to avoid smartphone usage.

Researchers found that disconnection from smartphone usage created many problems for dumbphone users. During the COVID-19 pandemic, proof of vaccination was often carried on smartphones. The inability to access ride-sharing apps left some users frustrated. No email on the phone was a problem, as was the inability to receive notifications. Smartphone use is required for many access authentication routines.

On the positive side, dumbphone use resulted in greater parent/child bonding, as there was never a device distracting parental attention. Dumbphone users report a calming effect and a greater ability to participate in what is happening in the moment. A few love the fact that their workplace cannot reach them easily during off hours.

A systematic review of the scientific literature on interventions for smartphone addiction found “there were reduced withdrawal symptoms of smartphone addiction, reduced negative feelings like depression, anxiety, and impulsiveness, and increased positive feelings like self-esteem” with all three therapies examined:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy — three studies

Exercise Therapy — four studies

Art Therapy — six studies

A far greater range of treatments for smartphone addiction is covered in a systematic review published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies. They describe, but do not evaluate, a dozen different interventions, including:

• Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Mindfulness Therapy
• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
• Peer Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP)
• Comprehensive Psychotherapy
• Psychological Education Intervention

In an interesting twist on treatments for smartphone addiction, the researchers look at smartphone apps that help reduce smartphone usage. Some of the apps reviewed include:

No Use is Good Use (NUGU) — A social support group for those trying to limit smartphone usage.

FamiLync — A parental or guardian supervision app that tracks usage patterns including frequency and duration.

Lock n’ LoL — An app that “provides synchronous group awareness that all members are currently limiting their smartphones.”

In general, the studies into treatments for smartphone addiction are not nearly extensive enough to make confident conclusions about the relative merits of different therapies. We will continue monitoring the science here at AddictionNews.

Written by Steve O’Keefe. First published September 9, 2024.

Sources:

“Can Barbie help beat teen smartphone addiction?” BBC, August 27, 2024.

“Swapping 5G for 3G: Motivations, Experiences, and Implications of Contemporary Dumbphone Adoption,” Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, April 26, 2024.

“A Systematic Review on the Intervention Program of Smartphone Addiction,” Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial Cooperation Society, March 31, 2020.

“Exercise as an Alternative Approach for Treating Smartphone Addiction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Random Controlled Trials,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, October 2019.

“A meta-analysis of psychological interventions for Internet/smartphone addiction among adolescents,” Journal of Behavioral Addictions, December 2019.

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