24 Mar 2025
A small group of teenagers in Canterbury took part in an experiment where they could not use their phones for seven days.
Could you live without your smartphone for a week?
A small group of teenagers in Canterbury are about to embark on an experiment where they’ll do just that. But first they’ll watch a play with all their year groups called Generation FOMO which was created by the group Portrait Theatre. The words and experiences from the play are from teenagers taken from in depth interviews about their smartphone use and the harmful material they come across online.
Most students who took part in the experiment said they felt less distracted
Most students who took part in the experiment said they felt less distracted
After the play I sat down with three of the boys who were about to take part in the experiment. They all said they thought life without a smartphone wouldn’t be that bad and were seemingly optimistic.
But the psychologist from the University of Kent overseeing the experiment thought they might be underestimating the problem. Lindsey Cameron described why social media was so addictive particularly for teenagers. The dopamine hit we all get, but the fact she says that younger people’s impulse control is weaker so they’d find it harder to come off social media.
Lindsey Cameron, University of Kent
Lindsey Cameron, University of Kent
That’s part of the reason why smartphone use among teenagers is a rising concern. Statistics from Ofcom show nine in ten children own a mobile phone by the time they reach 11. And a third (32%) of 8-17 year olds have come across inappropriate content in the last year.
So it’s 7 days later, how did the boys get on?
Some of them found it really hard, especially over the weekend. One boy missed out on over 300 WhatsApp notifications. But most of the boys said that they felt less distracted and were able to do more outdoor activities and spend time with their family. All of them said it made them think about their phone use.
To be honest it made me think about mine, I use my smartphone on average four hours a day, and seeing this experiment, I’m thinking about the limits I’ll put in place to keep myself safe from my device.