image source, BBC News/Kristian Johnson
As part of a five-day digital detox, 10 teenagers from Salford swapped their devices for basic phones that can only make calls and send texts. How did they turn out?
Will regularly spends more than eight hours a day staring at his smartphone.
He liked to ride his bike when he was younger – now he’s 15, he spends most of his free time after college scrolling through TikTok videos.
Last week, Will reached 31 hours in social media apps alone. But he will not have access to social media for the next five days.
- Author, Christian Johnson
- Role, BBC news
“I’m worried about how I’ll manage,” he says. “Now I’ll have to be social with my parents.”
The detox is part of a BBC project looking at young people’s smartphone habits – and Will is one of 10 students at Media City University’s College of Technology who have agreed to swap their phones for a basic Nokia phone.
Almost every aspect of students’ lives will be affected – they grew up with smartphones and use the internet for everything. They mainly communicate on Snapchat or Facetime, use Google Maps rather than AZ, and always stream music on the go.
It will be “a real challenge”, says college principal Colin Grand, who is locking students’ devices for the duration of the experiment.
Ruby dreams of becoming an actor. He says he spends too much time on his phone and often ignores his parents when he goes through TikTok.
In the middle of the experiment, I visit her family.
When I arrive, a 16-year-old girl is finishing up her makeup before heading off to college.
Her father checks that she has her work uniform in her bag, and then Ruby’s mother takes us to the tram stop.
Ruby admits taking a break from her smartphone “opened up another conversation” with her parents – and her mum Emma agrees the detox has had a positive impact on her daughter’s behaviour.
“Ruby is quite addicted to her phone so it gives her a chance to see what it was like when I was a teenager,” says Emma.
“He talks more and goes to bed earlier.” It’s a nice break.”
As we approach the barriers at the station, we see the tram already leaving.
Usually, Ruby checked the app on her phone to see when the next tram was coming. This generation does not read timetables on the notice board at the tram stop.
“I have no way of knowing without a phone,” he says.
While we wait for the next tram, Ruby tells me about her part-time job at the Nerf group game center. She works a few times a week – but she’s not quite sure if she has a later shift today or how long it will be.
Her manager has given her an office phone number in case she needs to clarify her hours – but she feels “a bit nervous” about calling.
“In the app, it shows you what shift you’re doing, but I don’t know that right now,” explains Ruby. “I never call into work, ever.
She pays for the tram ticket – her bank card is rarely used without access to her smartphone wallet – and we set off on the hour-long journey.
image source, BBC News/Kristian Johnson
For some teenagers, it was really difficult to give up their smartphone.
After just 27 hours, 14-year-old Charlie dropped out and asked for his device back.
“I knew my phone was in the same building,” he says, but not knowing if someone was trying to contact him and not being able to connect to the Internet was “really stressful.”
Another thing that seems to stress everyone out is their Snapstreak status – a running tally of how many days they’ve Snapchatted each other.
Some students admit to being so concerned about losing their streak — which can sometimes span more than 1,000 consecutive days — that they’ve asked friends to log into their accounts to keep them going during detox.
Like Charlie, other students participating in the experiment acknowledge the fear of missing out, but most say they are surprised at how liberating the experience is.
Some sleep better, they say, while others feel they were more productive without their phones.
“I feel like I’m learning things and getting more involved — I don’t feel like I’m missing out,” says Grace, 15.
Right after school, on the first day of the experiment, she and her friends went to buy plastic jewelry to “enhance” her brick phone.
Grace was showing it to me when we chatted, and she says the shopping trip was a good distraction from thinking about her locked smartphone — and it had another unexpected benefit.
“It was really peaceful,” he says. “I really enjoyed it because it got my creative flow back.
“As soon as I got home, I started drawing and painting. It helped restart my search for things I like.”
image source, BBC News/Kristian Johnson
But a cross-party group of MPs went a step further in May, saying a total smartphone ban for everyone under 16 – not just at school – should be introduced by whoever wins the general election.
The survey of 2,000 13 to 18-year-olds, carried out by BBC Radio 5 Live and BBCBitesize, asked young people about various aspects of life – including mental health and their smartphone habits.
- 23% agree that smartphones should be banned from under 16s
- 35% think social media should be banned for under 16s
- 50% say they feel anxious when they don’t have their smartphone on them. Last year, this number was slightly higher (56%)
Just participating in this digital detox set these teens apart from their contemporaries. In a BBC survey, 74% of young people surveyed said they would not consider replacing their smartphone with a basic device.
After five long days, it was time for students to gather with their smartphones.
Excitement levels are high as the teacher enters the safety of the college to retrieve them. Several students scream in anticipation.
Once they turn their phones back on, teenagers are glued to their screens – scrolling and catching up on group chats.
But most say they’d like to find ways to cut back on screen time after detoxing.
“I realized how much time I spent on social media and I realized I needed to cut back and get out more,” admits Will. “I’ll try to use less TikTok, that’s for sure.”
He admits that it was difficult, and most of all he misses listening to music. But time away from his phone has allowed Will to rekindle his passion for cycling – something he’s determined to pursue instead of spending endless hours scrolling.
“Eight hours a day is just crazy,” he says.