Kendall Schrohe vividly recalls the day she exchanged her smartphone for a flip phone. “The moment my iPhone was out of my hands, it felt like paradise,” shared the 23-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., during an interview with CBS News.
Schrohe is part of a growing trend among younger individuals who are moving away from smartphones and opting for simpler “dumb phones” to reduce their engagement with social media, driven by worries regarding its effects on mental well-being. Additionally, some express a longing for a time they did not experience prior to the rise of mobile technology.
Pew Research indicates that nearly half of U.S. adults were visiting social media sites such as YouTube and Facebook daily as of 2025. The American Psychological Association reported even higher engagement among teenagers, revealing that the average American teen spends approximately five hours daily on social media platforms.
Dumb phones encompass a wide range of devices. On one end are traditional flip phones, which were prevalent in the late 1990s and early 2000s and primarily facilitate calls and texts. On the other end, there are modern devices that resemble flip phones but come equipped with messaging capabilities and select applications. Some devices take advantage of smartphone technology while restricting access to social media.
Schrohe obtained her flip phone from Dumb.co, a startup offering devices with essential applications like Uber, maps, and Spotify, while excluding social media access. According to Dumb.co, the company boasts over 5,000 active users, with the average customer being a 24-year-old female.
Other companies providing dumb phones include The Light Phone, while tech firms like Brick offer companion gadgets that connect with smartphones to limit social media use.
Though Schrohe feels content with her decision to switch, she recognizes that breaking free from social media can be quite challenging. “For young people like us, who grew up on these platforms, it’s difficult to envision a life without that addiction, as it has been the norm for our entire upbringing,” she noted.
In March, a jury found Meta and YouTube responsible for creating products that fostered harmful and addictive behaviors in young users, marking a significant ruling that could establish a legal precedent for similar claims against social media companies.
Dr. Jason Nagata, a pediatrician and professor at the University of California, San Francisco, studies the impact of social media on youth. His findings suggest that social media usage can resemble patterns associated with substance addiction. “In both teenagers and adults, the design features can produce symptoms akin to substance-related dependencies, which can manifest as impaired control, withdrawal, tolerance, and relapse,” Nagata explained.
Furthermore, Nagata’s research indicates that those who actively reduce their social media consumption or abstain entirely often experience tangible benefits. “In the long run, many individuals report improvements in sleep quality, enhanced focus, and reduced stress levels,” he added.
Schrohe recounted her struggle over the years to lessen her social media use and limit the time spent texting and browsing on her smartphone. She ultimately found success through a program called “Month Offline,” which collaborates with Dumb.co, encouraging participants to forgo their smartphones for 30 days and engage in activities free from screens in a communal setting.
“I needed that drastic step, to be unable to access social media, to truly appreciate life without it,” Schrohe remarked. “Social media itself isn’t inherently harmful; it’s the design that encourages prolonged engagement that poses the problem.”
She concluded, “If you feel the desire to reshape your relationship with technology, you absolutely can. It truly broadens your perspective.”
Edited by Alain Sherter
