When I wake up in the morning, I reach for my iPhone 15 resting on my nightstand and scroll through various social media apps, wasting around 30 minutes of my morning.

Unfortunately, I consider myself to be a morning person, so it’s frustrating to watch the first couple of minutes of my day go down the drain. Yet, I am not alone.

According to Houston Style Magazine, roughly 89% of Americans check their phone within 10 minutes after waking up. I’m not surprised, as phones are now considered a necessity in the 21st century.

People are getting fed up with high amounts of screen time, which increases the likelihood of mental illness such as anxiety and depression, before their first cup of coffee.

My generation — Generation Z — is notorious for thinking outside the box; however, this is why many trailblazers are ditching digital life for a more analog approach.

That’s right — it’s time to turn your house upside down and find your well-loved Y2K flip phone or 90s brick phone, because they’re back and better than ever.

Young adults were driving a 148% surge in pre-smartphone purchases from 2021 to 2024, which inadvertently led to a 12% decline in smartphone sales, according to The Washington Times.

Turns out, young people are looking to the past while finding their cellular device rather than keeping up with technological advances.

I, for one, encourage this trend. Growing up in the early 2000s, I remember when the internet was stationary, a glorious place that you could come and go as you pleased. With easy access to

Facebook, Instagram and YouTube on portable devices, however, that magic is gone.

Gen Z music producer Rana Ali told The Guardian, “I’ve always hated being available to everyone. The idea that if you send a WhatsApp to someone and they don’t respond immediately, then something’s wrong.”

As my friends know, I respond to text messages within one to three business days. We laugh about it, as it’s become one of my social personality traits. Truthfully, I struggle with sending a basic reply or even a thumbs-up emoji, not because I’m being avoidant, but because I’m digitally drained by being accessible 24/7.

A peer-reviewed journal from the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS Nexus, published an article in 2025, finding large improvements in mental health, specifically Fear of Missing Out, commonly shortened to “FOMO,” after a group of participants blocked mobile internet access for two weeks.

Even when I turn my phone face down and do chores, exercise or spend time with family, I feel as if a weight is taken off my shoulders. How can I experience FOMO when I’m not doom-scrolling on TikTok?

So, if you think Gen Z is leading the smartphone movement, think again. Young adults are watching how screentime and constant availability halt physical presence, taking away from life’s big moments. With a “dumb phone,” individuals can still be reached via text message or phone call, but not through social media notifications.

I’ve been telling everyone I know that I’m going to find my first phone — a gray, Tracfone flip phone — and power it on. Instead of doom-scrolling at 7:30 a.m., I can do something productive, such as going back to sleep.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414 and ccostlow@altoonamirror.com