From wall-mounted smartphone docks to old-fashioned coiled-phone handsets, a growing trend for retro phone accessories may be a sign that many people are looking for ways to create distance from their smartphones.

The study by Edith Cowan University (ECU) researcher Dr Jess Hardley suggests these products reflect a broader desire to interrupt the close relationship people have developed with their phones over the past two decades.

The smartphone as a constant companion

Dr Hardley's research explores how smartphones have become deeply embedded in everyday life and why increasing numbers of people are now looking for ways to use them less.

"Smartphones were designed to be with us all the time," Dr Hardley said.

"We carry them from room to room, keep them within reach and don't think twice about holding or checking them."

Creating distance from devices

Drawing on more than a decade of research with Australian smartphone users, Dr Hardley found many people are actively creating physical distance from their devices.

One participant told Dr Hardley she locked her phone in a work drawer because mobile gaming had become "obsessive" and was affecting her concentration.

"What interested me wasn't just that people wanted to use their phones less," Dr Hardley said.

"It's that they're often creating physical distance from the device by putting it in another room, locking it away or making it harder to reach for."

The study also points to growing interest in phone-free events, app restrictions, greyscale settings and phone-locking pouches used at concerts.

More than a quirky trend

Dr Hardley said the popularity of retro-style accessories, including wall-mounted docking stations and coiled-cord handsets, may reflect the same impulse.

"At first glance these products can seem playful or nostalgic," they said.

"But they also point to something more significant. People appear to be looking for practical ways to interrupt the constant habit of picking up and interacting with their phones."

A broader cultural shift

The research comes as Australian states enforce school phone bans and international debate continues around young people's social media use.

"We're seeing personal responses and policy responses develop in parallel," Dr Hardley said.

"Individuals are finding their own ways to step back from smartphones, while schools and other institutions are introducing rules that limit access during parts of the day."

Dr Hardley said understanding why adults are voluntarily experimenting with ways to distance themselves from smartphones may help explain wider shifts in attitudes toward technology.

"The popularity of phone-free events, phone jails and retro accessories suggests people are questioning the always-on relationship we've had with smartphones for many years," they said.

"We're still living in a world shaped by smartphones, but we're also seeing the beginnings of a new conversation about when, where and how we want them to be part of our lives."

The paper ‘Revisiting the ‘Snug Tether’: Smartphones in an Era of Scroll Free Social events, Landline Accessories, and Device Bans’ was published in M/C Journal.