Unplugged for a Month: A Reporter’s Trial with a Dumb Phone
A USA TODAY youth mental health reporter spends a month using the Light Phone II instead of her iPhone, embracing a pared-down toolkit (calls, texts, calendar, notes, etc.) and logging off social apps. She faces practical challenges—needing workarounds for email, navigation, tickets, and QR menus—but discovers that slowing down, journaling, and engaging with analog communities can reduce screen time and sharpen focus. The piece highlights a growing Gen Z trend toward offline, hands-on activities in a post-COVID world, and suggests the real takeaway is balance and mindful tech use rather than total abandonment; some smartphone backup remains necessary for work, but a deliberate relationship with tech can improve connection and calm.
