What happened when 10 teenagers gave up their smartphones?

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 5 minutes read

Image source, BBC News/Kristian Johnson

Legend, Will worries about spending five days without internet, with just a “physical phone”

As part of a five-day digital detox, 10 teenagers from Salford swapped their devices for basic phones capable only of making calls and sending text messages. How did they get away with it?

Will regularly spends more than eight hours a day looking at his smartphone.

When he was younger, he loved riding his bike – he's now 15 and spends most of his free time after college browsing TikTok videos.

Last week, Will spent 31 hours on social media apps alone. But for the next five days, he will not have access to social media.

Author, Christian Johnson
Role, BBC News
4 hours ago

“I worry about how I’m going to get through this,” he says. “I will now have to be sociable with my parents.”

The detox is part of a BBC project studying young people's smartphone habits – and Will is one of 10 Media City University Technical College students who agreed to swap their phones for one Basic Nokia phone.

Almost every aspect of students' lives will be affected: they grew up with smartphones and use the Internet for everything. They mainly communicate on Snapchat or Facetime, use Google Maps rather than AZ, and always stream music on the go.

It's going to be a “real challenge,” says university director Colin Grand, who locks students' devices for the duration of the experiment.

Video caption, Students describe what it's like without a smartphone

Ruby dreams of becoming an actress. She says she spends way too much time on her phone and often ignores her parents when scrolling through TikTok.

In the middle of the experience, I visit his family.

When I arrive, the 16-year-old is putting the finishing touches on her makeup before heading to college.

Her father checks that she has her work uniform in her bag then Ruby's mother drives us to the tram stop.

Ruby acknowledges that having a break from her smartphone “opened up more conversations” with her parents – and her mother, Emma, agrees that rehab is having a positive impact on her daughter's behavior.

“Ruby is quite addicted to her phone, so this just gives her the opportunity to see what it was like when I was a teenager,” Emma explains.

“She talks more and she goes to bed earlier. It's a nice break.

As you approach the station gates, you can already see the tram leaving.

Usually, Ruby would check an app on her phone to find out when the next tram would arrive. Reading the timetable on the notice board at a tram stop is not something this generation does.

“Without a phone, I have no way of knowing,” she said.

While waiting for the next tram, Ruby tells me about her part-time job at a Nerf group play center. She works several times a week, but she's not sure if she'll have a shift later in the day or how long it will last.

Her manager gave her the office phone number in case she needs to clarify her hours, but she feels “a little nervous” about calling.

“It shows you on the app what change you're making, but I don't know that now,” says Ruby. “I never call work, ever.”

She pays for her tram ticket – her bank card is rarely used without access to her smartphone wallet – and we leave for an hour-long journey.

Image source, BBC News/Kristian Johnson

Legend, Ruby is too “nervous” to call her work to check her shifts – until now she always relied on an app

For some teenagers, giving up their smartphone has been very difficult.

After just 27 hours, 14-year-old Charlie gave up and asked for his device back.

“I knew my phone was in the same building,” he said, but not knowing if anyone was trying to contact him and not being able to connect was “really stressful.”

Another thing that seems to stress everyone out is their Snapstreak status – the total number of days they've sent Snapchat messages to each other.

Some students admit they're so worried about losing this streak — which can sometimes last more than 1,000 consecutive days — that they've asked their friends to log into their accounts and keep them going during detox.

Like Charlie, other students participating in the experiment admit to being afraid of missing out, but most say they are surprised by how liberating the experience is.

Some sleep better, they say, while others feel they have been more productive without their phones.

“I feel like I'm learning things and getting more involved. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything,” says 15-year-old Grace.

Right after school, on the first day of the experiment, she and her friends went to buy plastic jewelry to “beautify” her brick phone.

Showing it to me as we chat, Grace says the shopping trip was a good distraction from thinking about her locked smartphone – and it had another unexpected benefit.

“It was really peaceful,” she said. “I really enjoyed it because it got my creative flow back.

“As soon as I got home, I was drawing and painting. It helped me find the things I love again.

Image source, BBC News/Kristian Johnson

Legend, Grace decorated her brick phone with plastic gems

But a group of cross-party MPs went further in May, saying an outright ban on smartphones for all under-16s – not just in schools – should be imposed by whoever wins the vote. general elections.

In a survey of 2,000 young people aged 13 to 18 by BBC Radio 5 Live and BBCBitesize, young people were asked about various aspects of life, including mental health and their smartphone habits.

23% think that smartphones should be banned for under 16s
35% think that social networks should be banned for under 16s
50% say not having their smartphone with them makes them anxious. Last year this figure was slightly higher (56%)

The simple fact of participating in this digital detox allowed these adolescents to stand out from their contemporaries. In the BBC survey, 74% of young people surveyed said they would not consider swapping their smartphone for a basic device.

After five long days, it's time for students to get back to their smartphones.

Excitement levels are high when a teacher heads to the college safe to collect them. Several students shout impatiently.

As soon as they turn their phones back on, teens are glued to their screens, scrolling and catching up in group chats.

But most say that after attending rehab, they would like to find ways to limit their screen time.

“It made me realize how much time I was spending on social media, and I realized I needed to cut it down and get out more,” Will admits. “I’m going to try to use TikTok less, that’s for sure.”

He admits it was difficult and that he particularly missed music. But time away from his phone has allowed Will to reignite his passion for cycling – an activity he's determined to pursue instead of spending endless hours scrolling.

“Eight hours a day is just crazy,” he says.