‘Dumbphones have rubbish cameras and no WhatsApp, but will stop you doomscrolling’

Our smartphones are designed to distract us. The average British adult devotes over three hours a day to their phone. Young people report that their phones cause anxiety, and grown-ups experience sleep disruption and declining attention spans. This troubling new ‘phone addiction’ trend is sweeping the modern world. Can non-smart ‘dumbphones’ save us from this epidemic? Maybe. As one of a handful of journalists specialising in minimalist technology, I’m confident that dumber devices can at least help. They’ve certainly made a difference to me. As someone who has struggled with work-life balance, switching from an iPhone to a basic Nokia enabled me to regain control of my evenings, holidays and weekends. I recently asked Telegraph readers for their questions about dumbphones, including their rise in popularity, methods to combat social media addiction and whether they are a good option for screen-absorbed teenagers. You can read my answers below. Why are dumbphones gaining in popularity? A smartphone is obviously more useful Md. Fakhrul, West Midlands Almost everyone I know is questioning their relationship with their phone at the moment. Some of my friends want to stop wasting their evenings on social media doomscrolling, while others can’t let go of ‘urgent’ work emails during lunchtimes and weekends. I’ve also heard from people with gambling issues or whose mental health is being wrecked by the relentless 24/7 misery of rolling news.