Tips for taking a digital detox with a dumb phone

Want to digitally detox? How to find inner peace with a "dumb phone"

Smartphones offer us plenty of ways to connect with others. Messaging, sharing, and being a part of online communities can be enriching experiences, but this is also a double-edged sword. An increasing number of young people are experiencing mental health problems related to being constantly online. How can we reconnect with our present selves without cutting out the phone completely? A digital detox can be the answer. Here are some tips and tricks to get started.

Smartphones are one of the greatest inventions of our time. They connect us to all of the world's knowledge – and cat videos. They have given us apps to tackle all sorts of problems, whether it is our banking and payment apps, streaming and music apps, train and bus passes, doctor app and of course, social media. This is where the “FoMo” crops up.

Serving up virtually endless content, social media platforms can cause us to feel The Fear of Missing Out. This has created ever-increasing mental health issues that manifest as sleep problems, stress, anxiety and depression – especially in the hyper-digital younger generations. But thanks to smartphones, kicking our social media habits is harder than ever. That’s where a digital detox comes in.

A digital detox – going offline and taking a break from the internet, apps and social media – can be an excellent tool to get your thoughts out of cyberspace and be more present in the moment.

We reached out to Arne Bangsgaard Mathiasen, entrepreneur and owner of Dumbphone.dk, a group that works to teach young people in Denmark the benefits of being online less, how best to carry out a digital detox, and why it is sometimes necessary. Arne has experienced firsthand how anxiety is lessened when he replaced his smartphone with an "unsmart" Nokia phone.

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How to get started with digital detoxing

So how do you get started with your own digital detox? According to Arne Mathiasen, you don't have to wrap your smartphone in an envelope and close it with wax, but there are a number of tips that you can follow to start an actual digital detox, and to get a more balanced, digital life.

1. Don’t go cold turkey on your smartphone

Some sources suggest that alternating between periods of zero smartphone use and unfettered access is a viable approach. But these abrupt changes can give you a bad experience that keeps you from trying to detox again.

“For the vast majority of people, it will be far too difficult to go cold turkey in a busy everyday life,” Arne points out. “If you want to use your smartphone, you should do so during a holiday, or any other setup where it does not affect your everyday life.”

2. Think of your smartphone as a tablet

In modern life, we can't do without apps like travel apps or banking apps, and most people still want to use social media, but in a more moderate and controlled way.

Arne suggests that if you still want or need access to a smartphone, use it like a tablet. Fire up those essential apps when you need them, but then put the smartphone in your bag or bookcase in the same way you would with a laptop or tablet. You’ll be less inclined to take it out when you're bored, helping you to stay in the moment.

3. Choose a "dumb" feature phone

Of course, you can choose to delete all the attention-demanding apps from your smartphone and just keep the useful ones, but you might face the temptation to download them again.

“ I recommend using an "unsmart" feature phone – I myself use the new Nokia phones and would recommend the new Nokia 8210,” says Arne. “That way, you are still always available and can be called or texted, but you will not be tempted by social media. The feature phone can live in your pocket while your smartphone with essential daily apps can live in your bag.”

4. Use screen time limiters to your advantage

Most smartphones today have screen-time limiting features or apps built in. On Nokia smartphones running Android 13 for example, the Digital Wellbeing tools offer a number of ways to check and rein in your smartphone habits.

To limit screen time for specific apps:

1. Open Settings
2. Open Digital Wellbeing and parental controls
3. Open Dashboard
4. Press the sand-timer icon next to an app and set a time limit

When you’ve used up the allocated time for that app, you’ll be notified and the app will close. Your time allocation will refresh the next day.

10-day Digital Detox Challenge

Join our Digital Detox challenge on Discord to learn all about it. Our expert, Arne, will share tips and answer all?your questions. The challenge starts on Monday, November 20th. Click the link below to join us.

https://bit.ly/47rPg3E

Plus, if you don't have a dumbphone to participate, we've got a special 15% discount on selected feature phones.

We've got a special 15% discount waiting for you on selected feature phones. This sweet deal is up for grabs in the EU, USA (November 16th to November 30th), and India (November 20th to November 30th). Just add the code "DETOX" at checkout.

Happy detoxing!