Tharika J (Year 12)

“The difference between technology and slavery is that slaves are fully aware that they are not free”
― Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Professor, Risk Analyst and Writer)

It’s the year 2000. The hottest technology of the summer is a Nokia 215. It features a colour screen, radio, headphone jack, calendar, and basic internet browsing. It takes 13 button presses to text “how r u” or “I’m gr8”.

This is the phone that I have been using for the last 14 months. Why??

Because I realised that I had become chained to my smartphone.

Wake up in the morning? Scroll social media.

Notification? Better check that.

Bored? YouTube shorts or work emails.

I was using my phone to escape boredom, seek comfort, and avoid challenge. It was becoming a dominant pattern in my life, and it was feeling, if not sinful, at the very least, an unwise and unhelpful path for my life and my family.

Hebrews 12:1 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”

Perhaps this change feels too costly, and so I offer you five things I am finding helpful about having a “dumb” phone. I hope this prompts you to think about what it is costing you to NOT make this change.

1. Freedom from the infinite scroll

For me, watching YouTube Shorts is like stepping into quicksand. Seconds become minutes, and minutes can become hours. When I finally break free from scrolling, I don’t feel happier, relaxed, or more at ease. Instead, I feel envious of the lifestyle of celebrities and influencers. I feel regretful that I have wasted time and ashamed of my lack of discipline.

Psalm 90:12 – “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Every moment is precious and a gift from our great God.

With no internet connection or social media, I have found freedom from the infinite scroll. I have enjoyed redeeming my time to make it purposeful or truly restful.

2. Liberation from notifications

When I had a smartphone, I would check it every time I received a notification. Particularly troubling was my experience of “phantom notifications,” where I would feel a buzz from my phone but would have no notification when I checked.

Now I have no way to know when I get a notification,n and that’s ok. I have been freed from the worry and distraction of constantly checking my phone, and nothing bad has happened from people having to wait a little longer for me to reply.

3. The self-sufficiency of being lost

Without Google Maps, every journey becomes an adventure. I’ll confess that this has occasionally resulted in me getting lost. But it has given me a deeper appreciation and love for the complex and vast city we live in. If I get lost, I have to problem-solve and seek clues about where to go.

4. The release of not knowing

I’m not sure about you, but almost any time a question pops into my head, I feel compelled to check my phone for the answer. Since having a dumb phone, I have experienced how good it is to simply wonder about things! I have noticed that I am thinking more deeply, having more creative thoughts,s and processing situations better from having the space to think through them. And the evidence suggests that simply having a smartphone creates a cognitive load and reduces working memory.

5. The blessing of boredom

A dumb phone provides zero entertainment or distraction when I have nothing to do. In the past, I would have reached for my smartphone during the micro moments of boredom when I was waiting for takeaway, sitting on a bus or train, or waiting for a friend to arrive. Now, these are moments to give my brain a break and observe the world around me. Other times,s my boredom pushes me to find something better to do, like reading or spending time with my family.

You may not be ready to swap your smartphone for a dumb phone. It might even feel impossible. If so, perhaps the following would be a good place to start:

• Forget your phone for a day. For those over 16 with social media, consider a break. Change your phone’s notification settings and see how it impacts your life.

I have written this with the hope of challenging you to consider the impact your smartphone is having on your life and the person it is shaping you into. It’s worth a change!

“The greatest happiness is the happiness that comes as a by-product of striving to do what must be done, even though sorrow is met in the doing.”

― Theodore Roosevelt (26^th President of the U.S.A)