Is America headed for an age of dumb phones?

***From Business Insider’s Julia Pugachevsky***:

Matt Thurmond seems like a poster child for tech-forward millennials. He runs an AI-assisted platform for mortgage professionals. He leads a nonprofit that connects longevity researchers, investors, and startups. He was the copresident of a technology conference at Harvard, where he got his MBA.

So it’s a little surprising that Thurmond is almost never on his phone.

Count him among the “appstinent” — one of a growing number of Americans, mostly millennials and Zoomers, vowing to live a life free of [endless scrolling](https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-high-school-ditched-their-smartphones-founded-luddite-club-2022-10).

As evidence mounts of our collective phone addiction — and the toxic effects of social media — there’s a growing appetite for the Gospel of Appstinence. Searches for dumb phones have been surging. From Amsterdam to Brooklyn, there’s a growing trend of nightclubs requesting that revelers leave their phones at home — or at least keep them off the dance floor.

Adults who grew up when the internet and social media were just taking off, are perhaps the most desperate to reclaim the attention and focus that technology has taken from them. But lately, the appstinence movement has also begun to capture teens and college students, many of whom grew up seeing their phones as integral to their social lives. A recent survey by the[ Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/) found that most American teens have access to smartphones — and nearly half reported being online “almost constantly.”

[Read more](https://www.businessinsider.com/appstinence-movement-tech-lovers-dumping-smartphones-age-of-dumb-phones-2025-5?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=insider-futurology-sub-post).

I think America is headed for an age of dumb everything. 

I’m REAL close to going back to a dumb phone… only thing I want to keep is my music and that’s hard to do now, apparently, without a touchscreen.

I will not be giving my children smart phones, at least not ones that haven’t been dumbed down to the bare min they need. I have already started doing it to myself. These things aren’t good for us.

Boredom breeds productivity and creativity.

Some isolation breeds creativity.

And dopamine addiction is very real and counterintuitive to learning and long-term goals.

First manufacturer that doesn’t force an insufferable “AI assistant” on me gets my money. 

It wholly ironic how *smart* people are increasingly using *dumber* technology thus making their thoughts and opinions *less* prevalent, *and* having fewer children.

if social media ceos were not so intent on letting toxic content permiate their websites and dividing the general user base so we can’t focus on dealing with issues then it’s better to  just leave and use dumb phones but the downside is you somewhat lose that connectivity which helped us meet so many different people in the first place and they really want to stop that whether subtly or just outright. 

I use my phone for web browsing, texting (plain old texting, not iMessage or Whatsnap), and 2 games that I usually play on my PC. The occasional youtube video.

I could do all of this on one of those e-ink dumb phones except the games and youtube. I can play on my Switch/Steamdeck (and besides, the subway here doesn’t have internet between stations, so no big loss), and I can live without Youtube.

the only real issue would be things that need to be done with an app, or is much easier to do…like two factor authentication stuff.

Impossible. With requirement to use authenticator apps or in app notifications, everyone needs a smart phone.

Leave out the first and last word in your question.

I mean, there’s even a sub, r/dumbphone, specifically for people like that.

For me, personally, the biggest hurdle is music. I don’t use Spotify, and it’s usually the only music streaming app available.

I’d do a dumb phone but it would need to have maps, weather, notes, camera; along with the usual calling and sms. And probably at least one data-based messaging app like whatsapp to avoid long distance charges when travelling.

There is a Norwegian company called Xplora that does this with phones and smartwatchs. Available at Walmart, I think. The whole point is to have a much more curated experience. And costs a fourth of an iPhone

ima be honest this only exist in dense metro areas where you’re literally always around something going on. This is not happening in the majority suburbs of america

Dumb phones should be the only phones people under 16 are legally allowed access to. Can’t wait for a couple generations to go by and for people to look back in shock. It will be like leaded gasoline, asbestos, ads targeting junk food/tobacco/alcohol at youth.