Young People Ditching Smartphones? The Return of the Flip Phone

In an era where staring at smartphones has become a daily routine, some are choosing to disconnect.

Jaret, a 17-year-old living in Canada, recently ditched his smartphone and switched back to a flip phone.

He made the change to reduce the time he wasted on his smartphone, and the results were unexpected.

[Jaret Gross: It is really good. I think it is much better. My life has improved since I switched to a flip phone.]

When Canadian researchers had smartphone users switch to flip phones and compared their brain activity after a few months, they found a reason for the changes Jaret experienced.

[Blake Osmond/PhD in Psychology: The measurements showed that levels of depression, stress, and anxiety dropped immediately.]

Recently, the number of young people returning to flip phones like Jaret is increasing in Canada.

There is also a growing trend of parents coming to buy flip phones for their children.

[Jerry Ede/Flip Phone Seller: When I ask why they are buying flip phones for their children, they answer, "I don't want my kids using social media."]

Globally, an increasing number of countries are attempting to restrict social media use among adolescents through legislation.

In December of last year, Australia became the first country in the world to completely ban social media use for those under 16, and countries including Spain, France, and Denmark are following suit with similar bills.

The EU is currently reviewing measures to regulate social media use for children and adolescents under 13 across the entire European Union.

[Ursula von der Leyen/President of the European Commission: We need to consider a gradual approach based on age groups. Childhood does not wait, and once it passes, it never comes back.]

European Commission President von der Leyen emphasized, "Beyond the controversy over the side effects of social media, children need time to play in the real world, build friendships, make mistakes, and form their own identities and personalities before algorithms do it for them."

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