Thinkers and tech experts have come together to launch a new phone that will beat smartphone addiction – a very pink Barbie phone. The Barbie-branded phone has been launched in the UK and Europe with the aim of helping young people wean themselves off their smartphones.
The manufacturer of this new phone, HMD, has made it a very basic device with no front camera, only one game and very limited internet access. So the most striking feature of the phone is its pink Barbie motif, no front camera and only minimal connectivity to the internet.
HMD, the company that also makes Nokia phones, says this is their way of accessing the “surge” of people wanting less “digital influence” on their lives. But others say the goal has been achieved by teaching people how to limit phone use instead.
Parents and activists are talking about the increasing smartphone usage among children and the fact that most children born in the digital age are addicted to their digital devices.
Their concerns range from the suspicion that children’s attention spans may decrease to the fear that they may be exposed to harmful or illegal content.
Some schools are taking steps in this direction, such as Eton College, which is providing some of its students with “microphones” – sometimes called feature phones – that can only send and receive text messages and make calls.
Lars Silberbauer, a senior executive at HMD, says his company is responding to these trends.
“We are observing that this boom, which began in the US and is now spilling over into Europe, is leading to more and more people not wanting to be constantly digital,” he said.
Do “dumbphones” help with digital detox?
Silberbauer said that his motives for the new phone were truly noble and that he was also looking into the possibility of bringing WhatsApp to the Barbie phone one day.
The phone is a flip phone with a mirrored front and has no app store or touchscreen. It has no social media at all and can’t receive anything more advanced than SMS messages. That means there are no text messages with read receipts or the ability to see when someone is typing.
The phone’s launch price in the UK is £99 ($130) — double what you’d pay for an unbranded Nokia featurephone. There’s already a growing market for “dumbphones” aimed at a digital detox with minimal or basic features.
According to the company, the Barbie phone’s design alone will encourage even more people to buy it.
(With contributions from agencies)
)
