Concerns about smartphone dependency have sparked interest in minimal mobile phones: devices supporting basic communication without social apps, web browsing, or games. These design choices are thought to improve well-being, but have not been tested empirically. We conducted a first-of-its-kind longitudinal experiment examining the effects of switching from smartphones to minimal mobile phones on young adults’ psychological well-being over a week (n = 166). To account for individual variation in intrinsic motivation to try a minimal phone, we employed a quasi-experimental design comparing the outcomes of three groups: 1) high-interest volunteers who were asked to use minimal phones or participants that were randomly assigned to either 2) use minimal phones or 3) continue using their own smartphones. Results showed that switching to a minimal phone effectively reduced phone and social media use. However, only high-interest volunteers - those intrinsically motivated to participate - showed significant within-person changes in psychological well-being, reporting reduced stress, increased life satisfaction, and less FoMo. No effects on well-being were observed for those assigned to use the phone. Our results suggest that switching to a minimal mobile phone may support some motivated individuals in improving their sense of agency and well-being in an increasingly connected digital world.

This article seeks to explain the longitudinal associations of taking the smartphone to bed on adolescents’ daytime tiredness and physical well-being. We examined whether parents’: (a) active mediation; and (b) restrictive mediation determines whether children and adolescents have their phones within reach in bed or not. We used longitudinal data from a two-wave panel survey (NTime2 = 384) of early adolescents (10–14 years, MTime2 = 12.37, SD = 1.48, 46.4% girls) and one of their parents (=parent–child dyads) in Germany. A polling company collected the data in a four-month interval in 2018 and 2019, using a quota-sample procedure based on parents’ age and gender. Structural equation modelling revealed that active but not restrictive parental mediation at Time 1 (baseline) negatively predicted adolescents having their smartphones in bed at Time 2 (follow-up). We found that having a smartphone in bed increased adolescents’ daytime tiredness. Daytime tiredness was associated with decreased physical well-being over time. The findings indicate that parents should use active mediation to reduce their children’s use of their smartphones at nighttime to protect their physical well-being from tiredness.

Communicative and passive online use have been shown to affect individuals’ well-being in opposite ways. While communicative use is often associated with beneficial outcomes, passive use may even harm individuals’ well-being. However, existing studies have paid insufficient attention to the influence of age on these associations. Additionally, little evidence is available regarding the impact of communicative and passive smartphone use on individuals’ well-being across the life-span. Drawing upon the theoretical approaches of Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, Social Convoy Model, and Social Compensation Hypothesis, we assumed that particularly communicative smartphone use may be beneficial for older adults’ well-being, helping them to maintain their personal relationships. Results of a two-wave panel survey (NT2 = 461) revealed a significant negative influence of passive smartphone use on well-being irrespective of age. In line with the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory and Social Compensation Hypothesis, communicative smartphone use, however, only had a positive influence on well-being for adults older than 63 years, but not for younger adults. Our findings contribute to a broader understanding of the consequences of different types of smartphone use on well-being across generations in the longitudinal context.