PERTH, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – Increased interest is being shown in retro phone accessories as a way to influence how individuals interact with their smartphones. Edith Cowan University researcher Dr Jess Hardley has been investigating shifts in phone habits among Australian users for over ten years. Her recent research explores devices such as wall-mounted smartphone docks, classic-style handsets, and other tools designed to limit constant device access. The study also looks at everyday strategies people employ to make their devices less immediately accessible.
Hardley’s observations include actions like leaving phones in different rooms or locking them inside drawers. Some participants switch their screens to greyscale or impose restrictions on specific apps. For example, one individual stored a phone in a work drawer after mobile gaming began to interfere with concentration. While these measures vary in form, they share a common feature: each creates either a physical or digital obstacle between the user and the device during certain times of the day.
The research also examines accessories that make smartphones function more similarly to traditional landline phones. For instance, wall-mounted docks can keep devices stationary rather than in pockets or hands. Some connected handsets employ designs reminiscent of older home phones, including coiled cords. Hardley’s study also considers these products alongside phone-free gatherings and locking pouches used during concerts. The research does not claim that such items enhance health, attention span, or overall wellbeing.
Various methods of distancing from smartphones
Her paper explores how mobile phones have evolved from portable communication tools into devices integral to daily life. Modern smartphones encompass messaging, entertainment, financial transactions, photography, navigation, work-related features, and internet browsing. The research investigates what shifts occur when users intentionally make these devices less accessible. Physical separation is one approach to modifying smartphone habits that the study highlights, along with restrictions implemented at home, workplaces, events, and communal spaces.
Titled Revisiting the ‘Snug Tether’: Smartphones in an Era of Scroll-Free Social Events, Landline Accessories, and Device Bans, the paper was published in M/C Journal. It revisits earlier investigations into the close relationship between users and their mobile phones. The current research expands on concepts like phone jails, social events without scrolling, retro accessories, and device restrictions. Edith Cowan University stated that these findings illustrate practices aimed at disrupting the constant proximity often linked to smartphone use.
Public environments also see the adoption of phone restrictions
In Australia, measures to limit smartphone use in public schools have been introduced. Education ministers agreed that from Term 1 of 2024, all public schools would prohibit or restrict mobile phones. Following these regulations, federal education officials cited a survey of nearly 1,000 principals in New South Wales after implementation. The government reported that 87% observed a reduction in student distractions within classrooms, and 81% noted improved learning outcomes after the restrictions were put in place.
The research by Hardley continues to focus on how individuals adapt to smartphones’ significant role in everyday routines. It identifies methods such as physical separation, limited accessibility, and the use of phone-free environments. Retro handsets and wall-mounted docks are among the practices highlighted. On August 18, 2026, Edith Cowan University issued a summary of these findings, adding fresh insights to ongoing studies on smartphone habits and digital behavior.