Forget Smartphones: Gen Z is Going Dumb and You Should Too

Gen Z is leading a quiet rebellion against the very thing that’s supposed to make life easier: the smartphone. Searches for“dumbphones”have jumped 89% since 2018, and brick phone sales among 18 to 24 year olds soared 148% from 2021 to 2024. These aren’t nostalgia purchases. They’re a statement. Young adults are reporting better mental health, stronger relationships, and sharper focus after ditching the dopamine machine for a device that just calls and texts.

The science backs them up. A study by psychologist Dr. Adrian Ward found that going just two weeks without internet on your smartphone improved attention and mental health so much it was comparable to taking antidepressants. Harvard grad student Gabriela Nguyen created the APPstinent 5D Method after switching to a flip phone and noticing immediate benefits. As one user put it:“I have stronger relationships now than I ever did when I was constantly connected.”The evidence is piling up that our phones, while useful, might be causing more harm than we realize.

So what’s stopping the rest of us from making the switch? Fear, probably. Fear of being bored. Fear of missing out. Fear of actually having to talk to people face to face. But the trend suggests that the payoff is real. Better focus, better sleep, better relationships. The question is whether you have the guts to go dumb. Could you do it for two weeks?