Gen Z Is Fueling Rise Of 'Dumb Phones' In The US. Here's Why

Gen Z, which seems to be tired of screens, has fueled the sales of Nokia phones in the US.

Gen Z, which seems to be tired of screens, has fueled the sales of Nokia phones in the US, especially those that are similar to the phones being used in the early 2000s, the media has reported. According to SlickText.com, in 2023, among young adults, phone usage is up by 60 per cent-80 per cent more than pre-pandemic levels. Individuals born in and after 1996 who are typically considered Gen Z watch 7.2 hours of videos per day, shuffling from YouTube to Netflix.

The popularity of 'dumb phones' in the US also includes those known as 'feature phones', including the traditional flip or slide phones that have additional features like GPS or a hotspot, says a report by CNBC. In the US, the sales of feature flip phones shot up last year for Nokia-maker HMD Global, with tens of thousands sold each month while  HMD’s global feature phone sales were down, the company has said.

“I think you can see it with certain Gen Z populations — they’re tired of the screens,” Jose Briones, Dumb Phone Influencer and Moderator of the Subreddit, “r/dumbphones" was quoted saying by CNBC.

“They don’t know what is going on with mental health and they’re trying to make cutbacks.”

Minimalist phone makers such as Punkt and Light are further fueling the trend and selling phones aimed toward those with a desire to spend less time on their phones and social media. In fact, YouTube is full of a slew of such influencers.

As much as 80 per cent of feature phone sales in 2022 came from the Middle East, Africa and India, according to market research agency Counterpoint Research. However, there is a shift in numbers, as a contingency of young users in the US are going back to dumb or minimalist phones.

According to a report by The Star, pop star Camilla Cabello, recently, tweeted her love for the TCL flip phone. Even though smartphones have quickly taken over the market around the world, old-school phones have seen a small resurgence in the US.

The latest obsession with flip phones started when various celebrities took to social media to express the need to reclaim their mental health by getting rid of their smartphones in order to reduce screen time, The Star report added.