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Videos of people switching to a flip phone to limit the time spent on touchscreen devices have started to surface. There has been more consciousness that the amount of time spent on screens isn’t healthy for us. After watching “One Year Off Social Media As a College Student,” created by Christofu on YouTube, I became sold on the idea as he made the same switch. Going into my first year of college this fall, and gaining insight into a way to unravel the effects of screen time, inspired me to undertake my flip phone journey.
It started with a Google doc covering my plan’s bases, asking myself what phone I would get, how would I listen to music and how would I get around new places?
The solutions to those questions seemed worthy when I thought about the countless hours wasted on a screen that I could start to gain control over with more menial sacrifices.
As said by Christofu, “You don’t realize how much time you’re losing when you’re scrolling on social media … getting rid of that has made me realize that I have a lot more time for things that I previously thought I had no time for.”
As he had done, I also had spent too much time on social media at the expense of spending that same time on hobbies and I too wanted to make that switch.
I’ve seen an onslaught of videos of people making the same switch to improve their health and completely changing the habits they’ve relied on, which isn’t easy to do all at once. It’s important to make lifestyle changes at one’s own pace. This person started her social media detox by being smartphone-free once a week.
@yourbaeray Switching up my Sundays with the #Nokia2660Flip from Nokia 🎀 It’s not just a phone, it’s my weekly reset button! Swapping my smartphone for this cute lil and pink flip phone has seriously been a game-changer for my mental wellbeing 😮💨🙌 #AD #SoPink #NokiaANZ #flipphone #digitaldetox #mindfulness #mentalhealthawareness ♬ Jazz Bossa Nova – TOKYO Lonesome Blue
At the start of my switch, the plan is to leave a smartphone in my dorm and bring a flip phone out to ensure that I’m giving classes and outside activities my undivided attention and being as present as I can be. This step allows me to not completely shut myself off from the tools that my phone can provide and helps me gradually detox from it at the same time at my own pace.
In reducing my screen time, I hope to see an increase in my attention span, more productivity, and be more present to experience the college experience to my fullest.
Siah Brawley (she/her) is a rising freshman at UC Santa Cruz studying psychology.
Edited by Nykeya Woods