Get off your phone: How will gen Z survive without their smart phones?

Four gen Z phone addicts were tasked with handing their phone over for 14 days. Here they share the highs and the lows.

• ‘Our daughter’s childhood ended with a phone’

It’s no secret that gen Z is well and truly the smartphone generation, with gen alpha – our nation’s tweens – rapidly adopting the same habits.

In fact, it’s estimated that the average young Australian is on their phone an average six hours a day.

Let’s do the maths: That works out at about 91 days a year. A shocking three months of scrolling and liking and swiping.

In the 2025 The Great Parent Survey by The Advertiser, 25 per cent of parents shared that their kids were spending an hour or less outside each day. And 84 per cent agreed with the social media ban.

Talara, Leonie 14, Daisy 13 and Ruby. Picture: Brett Hartwig

But what happens when you take a group of young people and get them to replace their smartphone with a “dumb” phone for two weeks, offering nothing more than texting and calls? We decided to find out.

It took a staggering three months to even find willing participants for this social experiment – that’s how hooked on their smartphones generations Z and alpha are.

Here’s what they learned.

Ruby Stewart, 22

Ruby Stewart, 22. Picture: Brett Hartwig

“I am at Coles and I need to make a call but all I have is my Nokia. My texting skills are only suited to a smartphone keyboard, so that is not an option.

I am not one to care what people think, but right now I am racked with anxiety. Everyone else here has a smartphone.

If I pull out this dinosaur model, they’re going to think I am some kind of time traveller from the early 2000s.

My new “dumb” phone is loud and it beeps every time you press a button.

Are people going to notice I am an outsider?
I haven’t received any weird looks but as I lift my tiny phone to my ear and make the
quickest phone call I possibly can, I feel like the odd one out.

My smartphone first came into my life when I was 13. It was an upgrade from my iPod and was only meant to be used for emergencies.

But once my dad released me from my dollar-a-day phone plan, all bets were off. The power of data fuelled my ability to use it any time, anywhere.

I shamelessly say I love scrolling on my phone. I love watching my silly little TikTok videos. I love posting on Instagram, and while my younger days of keeping “streaks” on Snapchat are over, it is still where I message most of my friends.

I know I am a slave to every ping, buzz and noise my smartphone makes. I have even caught myself tapping on my black glasses case like it is a phantom phone screen.

Using the Nokia for two weeks seemed like a fun idea. In the words of the influencers I follow, it would be a #socialmediacleanse.

The first few days were easy. I went out for dinner with a friend and did not post about it online; I paid for something with my physical card – no Apple Pay on a Nokia – and I finished a book. It was bliss.

But then I started seeing the notifications on my smartphone screen and the FOMO (fear of missing out) set in.

While I had given my friends my new Nokia number, it took me so long to type messages that by the time I got back to them, the natural flow of conversation was dead.

I started sneaking in social media time on my usual phone and while I would try to keep to my one-hour limit, I definitely crossed the line on more than one occasion.

One week without my smartphone and I had read nearly two books. Maybe not that impressive, but more than I had read in years. I switched off notifications from my social media apps so I didn’t feel left out when I saw messages in the group chat coming through.

I have to admit, it is sometimes nice to take a step back.

While part of me wants to be in among the action, there was a sense of relief in knowing that I didn’t need to reply straight away, and the world won’t end if I don’t like and comment on a post I am tagged in the second it goes up.

It was nice to have an excuse to disconnect.

And in an unexpected twist, my Nokia became a hit.

My friends loved the Y2K, nostalgic vibes it brought, and the camera produced that Insta-perfect vintage film feel we’re all after.

However, even when I was using it, I was pre-planning how I am going to share my experience on socials once this is over.

The hardest part was when I didn’t feel like trying. When I wanted to be lazy and doom scroll for hours.

As someone who lives a busy life, I look forward to my scrolling time, when I let my brain go quiet and consume content that, ultimately, I don’t really care about.

I don’t need to think when I don’t care.

Since going back to my smartphone reality, I have noticed a few changes. I am pickier about the content I am consuming, and if it bores me I am more likely to put the phone down and move on to something else, like a book. I am loving my new reading hobby.

I also don’t carry the phone around the house with me everywhere I go now.

I am content with leaving it in my room while I make dinner. Sometimes I even forget it is in my pocket; I am not conscious of its presence.

It’s one small step, but it’s big for me.

Daily screen time stats

Before experiment: 5 hours, 22 minutes

After experiment: 2 hours, 55 minutes

Leonie Bailleul-Dumenil, 14

Leonie Bailleul-Dumenil, 14. Picture: Brett Hartwig

“I would not say I have ever been overly addicted to my phone, sometimes I even skip days on it.

A smartphone came into my life when I was 12, and now I am on my second model.

I downloaded Instagram in the middle of last year and have since developed a love for scrolling.

Seeing the Nokia was a shock. It had so many buttons – and why was it so loud?

When I showed it to my stepsister she was gobsmacked. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “How could they do this to you?”

But I could not have cared less about what people thought about my new phone, and it actually was not that bad.

By day two, I found myself getting more homework done and was finding the device a lot easier to use and more fun than I expected.

As the days wore on I found myself enjoying stuff more, and I was less stressed as I found myself unable to procrastinate with my phone.

After five days, I had only spent a maximum of 28 minutes on my usual phone, which was way under the hour a day we were allowed.

At one point I even lost my smartphone and didn’t realise until one or two hours later; that was new for me. Mum was happy, too, because all this extra phone-free time meant I was able to clean my room.

Everything was looking good until the end of the first week. While I am typing faster on the Nokia, I had to download an app on my usual phone for my sports commitments.

This, unfortunately, pushed me way over my hour limit (allowed for the experiment).

While this was not really my fault, it did knock me off course slightly.

Two days later, I broke again. This time I just needed a break; I needed to relax and unwind with a comforting scroll.

But in better news, on day 10 I was up to my fifth book and was enjoying reading outside more.

I usually sit in my room and pretend to read while actually going on my phone, but since I lost the smartphone, I even woke up early one morning to squeeze in some reading time before school. Usually in the mornings I am tired from scrolling late at night, so this was a shock.

Homework was also becoming more fun and I was ahead in my classes.

I just felt like I was so much more focused.

While my time on my phone was decreasing, I was becoming increasingly addicted to Snake.

It’s the retro game that my mum asked about as soon as she saw the phone, and like many people in her generation, I have discovered how addictive it can be.

My highest score was 134, which I am pretty proud of.

Moving forward, I think I would like to keep some kind of screen time limit … maybe a bit longer than one hour a day, though.

Daily screen time stats

Before experiment: 3 hours

After experiment: 57 minutes

Daisy kluzek, 13

Daisy Kluzek, 13. Picture: Brett Hartwig

“My friends at school freaked out when they saw my Nokia. One even asked: “What the hell is that thing?”

The reactions to my new phone were the best part, and they were even more shocked when I told them I had chosen to give up my smartphone.

I got my smartphone during year 6, when I was 11, but did not really start using it until year 7. YouTube is the main drawcard for me when it comes to phone use, and I know I will miss this access when I am on the Nokia.

When I first started this experiment I was hoping to get back into reading, but when it first started I did not have anything to read, which made those quiet afternoons after school even more difficult. This is when I would usually be scrolling and without that, life was pretty boring.

However, as the days ticked on I was able to get into the hobby and by the end had read four-and-a-half books.

The Ninja game on the Nokia was a plus to the dumb phone and I was able to make it to the top level. But texting is painful, selecting each letter is almost impossible, and I tended to avoid it altogether.

Over the two weeks I started to notice that it became easier to do things when I was not worried about my smartphone 24/7.

I even started leaving it at home and venturing out with just my Nokia, as
I just no longer had a need for it despite it previously being a crucial part of my usual day to day.

Without having the option of phone time, I found myself looking for things to do, and overall I was feeling better. I went to the gym and I did a lot more volleyball, and having the motivation to do things outside of my screen made me happier overall.

While there are certain things I look forward to regaining with my smartphone, I do think the one-hour limit is a good idea.

And I want to keep the Nokia so I can keep defeating the Ninja game.

Daily screen time stats

Before experiment: 2 hours, 30 minutes

After experiment: 1 hour

Talara Mchugh, 22

Talara McHugh, 22. Picture: Brett Hartwig

“It is with deep shame that I must make this confession, but I am a chronic doom scroller.

Mindlessly scrolling through social media has become second nature to me, with Instagram and TikTok being my poisons of choice.

Each morning, I scroll through my feed like it’s the morning news before reading the “actual” morning news.

Hell, I even take my phone with me to watch TikToks when I brush my teeth.

That’s why I agreed, albeit reluctantly, to swap my phone for a pocket-sized Nokia 3210 for two weeks.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and had I known what I was signing up for, I would have cherished my last morning scroll more. I would have taken my time, maybe held my iPhone a little tighter … but alas.

It took me longer than I’d like to admit to find the on button, which I only managed to do after consulting Google.

Texting was a nightmare, with each word taking a millennium to type out.

But, you know, it has Snake, which my weathered millennial colleagues say is a good thing.

Having an hour daily to get my social fix each day was a great comfort, giving me time to let my loved ones know that despite my silence, I am alive – just living in prehistoric times.

The second day was by far the hardest, as I couldn’t help but subconsciously reach for my real phone. Every time there was a lull in the day I had to resist the urge to do a quick check of my socials, and see what everyone was getting up to.

It helped that I had a pub crawl later that day so I could (jokingly) drown my sorrows.

When I whipped out the Nokia, everyone thought I was taking the piss. Luckily retro is cool, and my mates were fascinated you can still get “phones like that”.

As time passed, not using social media became easier. I actually surprised myself, getting my social screentime down to as little as two minutes a day, down from around three hours pre-detox.

It did help that I’ve fallen in love with reading again. In fact, over the last two weeks I’ve read five-and-a-half books, bringing me closer to my goal of reading 30 this year.

My sleep also improved massively; I’ve been sleeping a solid eight hours for the first time in a long time.

While noticing the benefits almost instantly, FOMO was still a daily struggle, along with not being able to post.

For instance, I went to the beach with a friend and the whole time I had a voice in my head nagging me to “post pics or it didn’t happen”, like Frodo with the One Ring.

But I didn’t crack. I even held my ground on Valentine’s Day, though I felt terrible for not posting about how amazing my partner is.

Then came Laneway festival, where I was given a free pass to be back on socials for 24 hours. I barely used my phone, save for posting Clairo, Beabadoobee and Charli XCX, who many gen Z, including me, would liken to a holy trinity.

But this was where I started to go downhill. You see, the morning after, I woke up bored out of my mind and couldn’t resist watching TikToks to pass the time.

So I did. While feeling very guilty. However it was the first and “only” time I actually cracked, spending 27 minutes on Instagram and TikTok combined before the guilt was too much to bear.

And as the trial neared its conclusion, I started introducing more screen time back into my daily life. In my defence, I’m only human.

While I’m back online, this trial showed me that it is possible to live offline and be happy. I don’t think people need to ditch the apps altogether, rather be more mindful of just how much time we decide to spend on them.

Daily screen time stats:

Before experiment: 2.5 hours

After experiment: 1.5 hours

EXPERIMENT RULES

For two weeks:

● Smartphones could be used for work purposes or in emergencies.

● Participants were allowed one hour a day on smartphones in case they needed to check important messages that could only be accessed through social media or apps.

● The rest of the time, dumb phones only.