We asked four teens to swap their smartphones for flip phones. Here's what happened.

submited by

Style Pass

2025-01-23 05:30:05

By Meg Oliver, Alicia Hastey

For 14-year-old Ben Cohen-Vigder, accidentally losing his smartphone on the school bus last February ended up gaining him so much more.

It was so much better that the 8th grade lacrosse goalie made the radical choice to get a flip phone, giving him the ability to communicate without all the smart features — and distractions.

A growing number of experts are sounding the alarm about increased screen time and the effect it has on kids and teens. In a 2023 advisory on social media use and mental health, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recommended creating "tech-free zones" and encouraging kids to "foster in-person friendships." Meanwhile, several states have taken steps to ban cellphones in schools.

Ben said he used to average up to five hours of screen time per day. Once he switched to a flip phone, it went down to about 30 minutes. So, CBS News asked four of Ben's friends, Carson, Ranita, Jamison and Maya — all 8th graders in New Jersey — to try flip phones for a week. Maya said her average screen time at the beginning of the week was more than 10 hours, spent mostly watching TV and on Tiktok.