海角大神

The adage听鈥渆verything old is new again鈥� rings true in Nicole Hope鈥檚 home. And a child鈥檚 eager footsteps thump across the floor in a race to grab a phone 鈥� a landline phone 鈥� before that ringing stops.听

To Ms. Hope, mother of 6-year-old Sophia, as well as 4-year-old Ryder, it is a scene both nostalgic and cutting edge.听

She and her husband had wanted to find a way for their children to reach them in case of an emergency.听

But like many parents, they knew about a growing body of research connecting smartphones and social media to a slew of risks for children and teens. So Ms. Hope was excited when she stumbled upon a product called Tin Can, a plug-in, Ethernet-connected phone for kids that comes in two models: a 1980s version called the 鈥淔lashback,鈥� and a tin can design resembling old mock telephones.

She clicked purchase. And in doing so, she joined a growing number of families across the United States who are not only pushing back against the proliferation of screens in family life, but are finding that going analogue 鈥� or, at least, analogue-ish 鈥� brings with it a good amount of novelty and fun.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 funny to hear a landline phone ringing,鈥� says Ms. Hope. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the sounds I grew up with.鈥�

She is delighted by her daughter鈥檚 joyful reaction when the ring sound trills across the house 鈥� probably once a day. She notices that Sophia is building communication skills from having to pick up a receiver without knowing who will be on the other end. It鈥檚 fun to hear her daughter chat away with family and friends from the central, plugged-in location.听

Still, she and other parents acknowledge that the initial motivation for their interest in this sort of 鈥渞etro鈥� technology was a growing concern.听

The case against children鈥檚 use of smartphones听

Over the past years, there has been a growing movement among pediatricians, advocates, and policymakers to alert parents to the dangers that come with smartphone use 鈥� particularly social media.听

In 2024, the social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt published his book, 鈥淭he Anxious Generation,鈥� in which he argues that smartphones are causing a mental health crisis among youth 鈥� in large part because they have replaced play and other previously 鈥渘ormal鈥� childhood activities. It quickly shot to the top of The New York Times bestseller list.

鈥淭he loss of free play and the rise of continual adult supervision deprived children of what they needed most to overcome the normal fears and anxieties of childhood: the chance to explore, test and expand their limits, build close friendships through shared adventure, and learn how to judge risks for themselves,鈥� writes Mr. Haidt on his website. Soon, he began what he called 鈥淭he Anxious Generation Movement鈥� to 鈥渄ismantle the phone-based childhood and revitalize play, independence, and responsibility in the real world.鈥�

In the U.S., schools and state governments have started to implement phone-free policies in classrooms. Late last year, Australia implemented the first nationwide legislation to ban social media for children under age 16.听

And last month, the first in a wave of lawsuits against social media companies began in Los Angeles, in which plaintiffs argue that the technology behind social media is not only harmful to young people, but is intentionally developed to be addictive.

The defendants, including executives at Facebook, YouTube, and Google, have denied that claim.听

All of this has created a quandary for parents 鈥� including Chet Kittleson, CEO of Tin Can, who recalls feeling 鈥渟andwiched鈥� between his children鈥檚 desire for independence and knowing the potential harms that come with cellphones for younger children.听听

He knew that a number of companies sell parental monitoring for cellphones. Pinwheel and Gabb phones, for instance, cannot go online or on social media, while other brands allow for tight parental monitoring of online content. The Troomi phone has an AI feature that keeps children from content and interactions that may be harmful.听听

But none of these products solve the problem of distraction: Instead of playing with each other, kids are tempted to turn to their devices and interact through screens.

More than nostalgia

Mr. Kittleson鈥檚 eureka moment came from a school pickup conversation with other parents, who raised similar concerns regarding purchasing phones for their children.听

鈥淚 had this insight, which was, when we [parents] were kids, our first social network was the landline. Our kids don鈥檛 have that one,鈥� Mr. Kittleson says. 鈥淚 think in that conversation I basically spelled out what Tin Can has become.鈥澨�

Eventually, in September 2024, he and his co-founders, Graeme Davies and Max Blumen, got to designing and then launching their prototype. Their product looks and sounds like a retro phone, but operates through the internet. It can call other Tin Can phones for free, or parents can buy a $10-per-month plan to be able to call other numbers.

When Tin Can launched, Mr. Kittleson was dubbed the 鈥淭in Can Man鈥� around his neighborhood. For the first batch of local purchases, he personally installed the phones in houses around his neighborhood and quickly realized that his team 鈥渉ad something special.鈥� Mr. Kittleson remembers in one home, a woman had cried, overjoyed by the reminder of past times.听

鈥淪he was like, it just reminds me of simpler times, we鈥檙e in this world that feels very ... heavy,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd this just makes me feel like I鈥檓 back at home, safe, and calling and talking to my friends.鈥澨�听

Other parents have gone even more old-school, reinstalling actual landlines and convincing their friends to do the same.听

While new technologies and laws can regulate youth鈥檚 interactions with phones and screens, 鈥渙ld-school鈥� approaches from parents still work, says Ellen Wartella, a retired professor from Northwestern University who studies media and technology鈥檚 influence on youth development.

This resurgence of older technologies also fosters an understanding of technological history, Dr. Wartella says. By engaging with devices like the landline, children can develop a deeper appreciation for newer technologies, creating a richer context for their experiences.听

In a Maryland home, Amy Driscoll, mother to Emmett and Marie, has long been wary of introducing her children to technology. She tries to be 鈥渋ntentional and thoughtful鈥� about the ways she incorporates technology into her children鈥檚 lives. She has asked her children to reflect on how their use of technology made them feel.听

鈥淚 think with anything, moderation is key,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e try to teach them that, [it鈥檚] like you can鈥檛 have that much dessert.听听You鈥檙e gonna feel sick.鈥澨�

At the tail end of summer, Ms. Driscoll and a small group of parents came together with the idea of purchasing landlines for their children. Their goal: to allow their children to have a sense of independence and limit their use of screened technology. By the holiday season, Ms. Driscoll said most of their neighbors had installed the lines.听

鈥淭he other day, my daughter just chatted with a neighbor friend for like an hour,鈥� Ms. Driscoll says. 鈥淚t was so cute, like what are they chatting about? It鈥檚 just this wonderful sense of freedom.鈥澨�