PERTH, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – Retro phone accessories are gaining renewed interest as researchers explore methods by which individuals create greater distance from their smartphones. Edith Cowan University researcher Dr Jess Hardley has dedicated over ten years to studying evolving phone habits among Australian users, and her latest research investigates wall-mounted smartphone docks, traditional-style handsets, and other tools designed to limit constant access. This research also considers the everyday steps people take to make their devices less immediately accessible.
Hardley documented a variety of practices, including leaving phones in separate rooms or locking them inside drawers. Some participants switch their screens to greyscale or impose restrictions on certain applications. For example, one individual stored their phone in a work drawer after mobile gaming began to interfere with their concentration. While these actions differ in their methods, they share a common feature: each creates a physical or digital barrier between the user and their device during specific times of the day.
The research also examines accessories that make smartphones function more like traditional landline phones. Wall-mounted docks serve to keep a device stationary rather than in a pocket or hand, and some connected handsets incorporate designs reminiscent of older home telephones, such as coiled cords. Hardley’s study includes these products alongside phone-free social gatherings and locking pouches used at concerts. However, the research does not claim that these products necessarily improve health, attention, or overall wellbeing.
Various strategies exist for distancing from smartphones
In her paper, Hardley explores how mobile phones have evolved from simply portable communication tools into devices integrated into everyday life, offering messaging, entertainment, payments, photography, navigation, work functionalities, and internet connectivity. Her focus is on how intentional efforts to make these devices less accessible change user behavior, considering physical separation as one approach among many used across homes, workplaces, social events, and shared spaces to manage smartphone use.
The publication, titled Revisiting the ‘Snug Tether’: Smartphones in an Era of Scroll-Free Social Events, Landline Accessories, and Device Bans, appeared in M/C Journal and revisits earlier studies on the close relationship between users and their mobile phones. The current work discusses phone jails, social events without scrolling, retro accessories, and device restrictions. Edith Cowan University noted that this research highlights practices that interrupt the constant proximity often associated with smartphone engagement.
Public environments also see the implementation of phone restrictions
In Australia, restrictions on smartphone use have extended into public school settings, with education ministers agreeing that from Term 1 of 2024, all public schools will prohibit or limit mobile phone access. Following these regulations, federal education authorities cited a survey from New South Wales involving nearly 1,000 principals, revealing that 87% of respondents reported students were less distracted in classrooms, and 81% observed improvements in learning after the restrictions were introduced.
Hardley’s research continues to focus on how people adapt their smartphone habits as these devices remain integral to daily routines. The study emphasizes methods like physical separation, reducing accessibility, and creating phone-free environments. Retro handsets and wall-mounted docks are part of this broader set of practices. On Aug. 18, 2026, Edith Cowan University published a summary of the findings, adding fresh examples to ongoing research into smartphone use and digital behavior patterns.