TikTokers Are Using This Nostalgic Hack To Lower Their Screen Time

"Back in the day, when you wanted to call a friend, you had to use "The Phone." The phone - often the only one in your house - was a landline attached to the wall with a cord. That meant you could wander roughly five to 10 feet while chatting before it yanked you back to reality. Maybe you'd even mindlessly twirl the cord while talking, but eventually, you'd get bored, hang up, and go do something else."

"On TikTok, many people are recreating this nostalgia by tethering their phone to a wall. But it's not just for the throwback of it all. In fact, the main goal is to help people lower their screen time by pretending they have an old-school landline and treating their smartphones as such. Instead of taking their device everywhere they go - bed, bathroom, couch - they're opting to keep their cell in one spot. It's yet another way folks are going analog in 2026."

"Creator @erinwakeland.studio got a cute gold chain, hung it on her key rack by her front door, and then attached her phone to it. When she's home, she only allows herself to use her phone when sitting in a nearby chair, and it replicates what it felt like to use a landline back in the day, or even how it felt to play in the "computer room" when desktops had just gained popularity."

People are recreating landline nostalgia by tethering smartphones to walls or key racks to mimic old corded phones. The practice limits device mobility and encourages users to keep phones in one spot instead of carrying them to bed, bathroom, or couch. Creators use chains, hooks, or Bluetooth adapters that connect cells to retro handsets to enforce physical boundaries. Some users only allow phone use while seated nearby, treating the tether as a constraint that reduces passive scrolling and lowers screen time. The trend has led some households to reinstall landlines and others to repurpose cellphones into stationary devices. Licensed psychotherapists provide perspectives on why physical boundaries can support healthier device habits.

Read at Bustle