Why This Teen Swapped His Smartphone for a Flip Phone
By Movieguide® Contributor
After losing his phone for two days, 14-year-old Ben Cohen Victor realized how much better his life was without it, causing him to make a lasting change once he got it back.
“I was without a phone for, sort of, two days. And I realized how my days were just so much longer and more full,” he told CBS Evening News. “I knew something had to change because I was not getting my work done, I was anxious, I was biting my nails a lot.”
The young teen decided to permanently exchange his smartphone for a flip phone, removing its addictive features from his life and only using his phone for basic communication. The change helped him cut his daily screen time from roughly five hours per day to only 30 minutes per day. He now encourages others to make a similar change.
“It doesn’t have to be something as drastic as completely getting rid of all your social media,” he said. “I still have an Instagram account that I use on my computer, but it’s more about doing small things that you can bring together to fix that constant need [to be on a screen].”
While numerous studies have come out revealing the dangers of high screen time for toddlers and young children, the research is clear that everyone, regardless of age, can benefit from lower screen time.
A study last fall from the CDC revealed that teens experience double the rate of anxiety when they use their phones for four or more hours per day, compared to their peers with lower screen times. A study from last March revealed that roughly three-quarters of all teens experience more joy and peace when they are off of their phones. Not to mention the fact that our screen addictions cost Americans $151 billion in 2023 alone due to reduced productivity and impacts on our health.
READ MORE: EXCESSIVE SCREEN TIME COST AMERICANS $151 BILLION IN 2023
Clearly, our addiction to screens has a major impact on our daily lives. While regulations are slowly coming into place to help stem the reach of addiction — such as limiting phone usage in schools — for now, it is still on the consumer to make the change they want to see to reclaim what screen addiction has taken from them.
READ MORE: HERE’S HOW CUTTING SCREEN TIME IN HALF CHANGED ONE TEEN’S LIFE
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