Gen Z Seem To Be Tired Of Their Smartphones And Are Shockingly Buying “Dumb” Ones, Find Out Why

Roughly 5.83 billion people worldwide own a smartphone; that’s a massive number of folks connected to the Internet. These mobile devices were introduced in the 90s and have since completely changed how people interact, connect across distances, work, and even entertain themselves.

The only problem is that this invention might have worked a little too well, with folks finding themselves chronically online because of the perpetual stream of alerts and notifications that’s always coming from their phone. With so many people glued to their devices, it’s no wonder a quiet revolution is pushing everyone to digitally detox.

One way Gen Z has done this is by trading their smartphone for a “dumb” one. On TikTok, the hashtag #BringBackFlipPhones gained more than 59.8 million views, and in 2023, U.S. feature phone sales reached over 2.8 million units, showing a surge of interest in retro tech.

When one’s cellphone is almost seen as an extension of oneself, this kind of cultural shift is surprising. So, let’s unpack why young people are buying flip phones out of the blue, and hear from a cybersecurity veteran and a podcaster who Bored Panda interviewed to understand whether this trend is here to stay or go.