For the Dumb Phone

 

6 min

By Molly Roberts in the  WaPost

August 7, 2024 at 6:30 a.m. EDT

This year, the world got serious about smartphone addiction. The Los Angeles Unified School District, which just banned mobile devices on campuses, is only the latest body to try to pry these tools from students’ hands: 1 in 4 nations have similar policies or laws. The U.S. surgeon general wants to slap warning labels on social media, a la cigarettes — another way of trying to cut down the time teens and tweens spend staring at their screens.

Sign up for Democracy, Refreshed, a newsletter series on how to renovate the republic.

But as usual, the kids are way ahead: Some of them are apparentlytaking their smartphones away from themselves.

The so-called dumbphone has returned to vogue in 2024. Think the Motorola Razr, sleek for its time but an anachronism now with its number pad and flip-open design. Or think even dumber — for instance, the Nokia 3310, basically a plastic brick with a monochrome display. And it’s not just the young folks who seem to be embracing the technology of yesteryear. Two groups, according to news reports, are especially enamored: Gen Zers who disdain the capitalist elite of Silicon Valley … and the capitalist elite of Silicon Valley.