Beth Long transformed her Dorset home into a tech-free zone after her 11-year-old son became addicted to his iPad, replacing tablets with Yoto and Tonie audio players and installing a 24-hour plug timer to turn off Wi Fi between 10pm and 6am. She also installed a landline for her 13-year-old daughter. Long and her family are part of a growing cohort creating tech-free havens, coinciding with the UK's policy to ban under-16s from social media.
Screen-free audio players for kids by Yoto and the Toniebox by Tonie are central to this trend. A Future Laboratory survey of 3,000 adults in the UK, US and Australia found 57 per cent are seeking slower, analogue task completion, while 46 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds actively try to decrease screen time. These 'informed sceptics' understand technology and resist it deliberately.
Architect Felipe Correa of Somatic Collaborative notes people are designing 'wise homes' to prioritize physical interaction and conversation over digital connectivity. Consumers are implementing 'digital friction' to ward off mindless app checking. Brick (£45), a battery-free magnetic device, blocks chosen apps when stuck to a fridge.
Interior designer Henriette von Stockhausen installs single switches to turn off wireless waves at night, designing media rooms for Wi Fi access while leaving other areas unconnected. Nancy Davis of the Global Wellness Summit uses Tin Can, a Wi Fi-enabled landline, for grandchild calls, prioritizing deliberate connection over FaceTime.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing