More than half of 18 to 24 year-olds-in New Zealand feel addicted to their smartphones, according to research from Victoria University of Wellington lecturer Alex Beattie. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s made dumb phones a popular choice for people wanting to lower their screentime. <\/p>\n
The phones, also called \u2018feature phones\u2019, only have basic functions like calling and texting. <\/p>\n
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including the West Auckland builder sentenced over massive meth haul, fire on a commuter train, and how Bluey could teach kids about resilience. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n
When Adam decided to switch to a dumb phone, he was going through one of his hardest semesters of university and considered dropping out. <\/p>\n
\u201cMan, I felt like my phone was consuming my life,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I just had these visions, these fantasies of going to a bridge and throwing my phone off as far as I could.\u201d <\/p>\n
Adam was studying a visual arts degree and says his smartphone kept taking his eyes downwards when he should have been looking out at nature. <\/p>\n
![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/adam-de-jong-PAO3KEOZC5B5DMKW7IARCNOOII.jpg\")
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Adam de Jong. (Source: Re: News)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I really liked about my dumb phone is that it took a lot of effort to do anything. And when I was out, I couldn’t just pull out my phone and start scrolling.\u201d <\/p>\n
He says the most important lesson he learned from using a dumb phone was that he didn’t need to be online and accessible to people all the time, adding that these \u201cweird social expectations\u201d don\u2019t match up with our \u201csocial reality\u201d. <\/p>\n
End of the experiment<\/p>\n
However, Adam says he eventually switched back to a smartphone \u201cmostly because I felt like my social life was falling apart\u201d. <\/p>\n
He realised there were many tasks he couldn\u2019t do without a smartphone, including: <\/p>\n
Doing a bank transferUsing Google MapsCarrying e-ticketsReceiving event invites<\/p>\n
Texting became a pain, he says, so anytime he received a text he would have to weigh up if responding was worth the effort of typing the message out on a dumb phone keyboard. <\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I got a dumb phone, I thought I was an excellent communicator, and then I got a dumb phone and I kind of stopped caring,\u201d Adam says. <\/p>\n
Learning to disconnect is a skill <\/p>\n
Beattie, at Victoria University, researches ways in which people manage their screentime and says more than half of 18- to 24-year-old New Zealanders really struggle to disconnect from the internet. <\/p>\n
![\"Brick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/brick-is-a-device-that-can-temporarily-lock-someone-out-of-s-2LGOXA5W5BA7DKC6SOUHVESLCI.jpg\")
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Brick is a device that can temporarily lock someone out of specific apps. (Source: Re: News)<\/p>\n
He says the biggest barrier to giving up a smartphone is experiencing FOMO \u2013 the fear of missing out \u2013 but there are tools like Brick which can temporarily lock you out of apps that are distracting you. <\/p>\n
Beattie says older people who blame younger people for being addicted to their phones don\u2019t realise how different the world was when they were growing up. <\/p>\n
![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alex-beattie-is-a-lecturer-at-victoria-university-of-welling-5SSN6XYCQBBEBFUDCSGPLMQLVI.jpg\")
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Alex Beattie is a lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington. (Source: Re: News)<\/p>\n
\u201cThey would go to pubs. Things were cheaper or free. It’s just completely different now. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing about social media is it’s one of the only free things young people have. Of course they’re going to be on it all the time.\u201d <\/p>\n