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 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 minimal phones, a quasi-experimental design compared 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 switching to minimal phones reduced phone and social media use. However, only high-interest volunteers - those intrinsically motivated to participate - showed significant within-person changes in 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. Results suggest switching to minimal mobile phones may support some motivated individuals in improving agency and well-being.
ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems