Your past is calling: Why 'retro' landline phones are trending with adults and kids alike

The hottest speech sound on the securities industry redress at present looks the like something '90s kids might have used to nervously hang up on their Grade 7 crush, call the mall to check when HMV opened, or dial their local radio station to request the newest Boyz II Men ballad.

It plugs into the wall, doesn't have a screen, and is, for all intents and purposes, a landline. Yes, with a cord and everything.

The phone runs on Wi-Fi and can only connect with parent-approved contacts and 911. There are no apps, texting or games. It's just, well, a phone — and that's the point.

"We launched at a time when parents were waking up to the dangers of smartphones, but had no real alternatives," Kittleson said in a written statement.

"What we’ve realized is that kids don’t actually want a smartphone; they want to call their friends, talk to grandma, and feel like they have some independence."

The Tin Can is trending with Gen Alpha as parents seek out an antidote to screen time, but it's also just one of several landline-style devices surging in popularity as a growing number of consumers try to reduce their reliance on smartphones.

There are Bluetooth-powered "physical phones" marketed to adults and "retro, old-fashioned" wall-mounted phones available on Amazon. On social media, there are TikTok videos of rotary phones for "vintage girlies," and scores photos of the kitschy landline phones snatched up in thrift store hauls.

On Pinterest, one of the trending search items in Canada this year is "vintage phones," and Google trends shows a rising number of Canadian queries for an Ikea landline phone — which doesn't exist, despite social media videos claiming it does.

It's is a manifestation of people struggling to change their relationship with technology, says Richard Lachman, a digital media professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and author of Digital Wisdom: Searching for Agency in the Age of AI.

Gen Z is taking up knitting to put down their phones

Landlines add "friction" to the interaction, he explains — something that requires effort. It's funny, he said, because developers spent decades trying to remove friction from computer use.

"But now, when we're struggling with how we feel about spending so much time online, in shallow interactions with our friends, with ideas, or even with media, we're finding that a little bit of friction can be a wonderful thing," Lachman said.

"It lets us control when, where, how, and for how long we engage."

The landline boom also comes at a time that many parents are worried about the safety of their kids online and as several countries, including Canada, mull social media restrictions for youth.

Researchers say social media platforms are designed to be addictive, and use among youth has been linked to disrupted sleep, depression and anxiety symptoms, and negative effects on attention and memory.

Earlier in April, Heritage Minister Marc Miller said the federal government is "very seriously" considering whether to restrict young Canadians' access to social media platforms and artificial intelligence chatbots.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced last weekend that province will be the first to ban youth from using social media and AI chatbots.

Globally, Australia's ban on social media use for kids under 16 took effect in December, and lawmakers in France have approved a bill to ban social media for kids under age 15.

On Wednesday, the EU announced charges against Meta, saying it wasn't doing enough to restrict kids under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram. And last month, Google and Meta lost major court cases in the U.S. Regarding youth safety online, prioritizing profits, and designing platforms to hook young users.

Allison Shiach is one of a growing number of parents choosing to delay smartphone access as long as possible. She and other parents in her community recently got landline phones for their kids.

As a bonus, Shiach says she doesn't have to schedule playdates anymore. Now, her daughter can reach out to her friends herself.

"That's another part of our mental load as a parent, is co-ordinating everything."

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Of course, it's not just parents who are worried about smartphone overuse. There's been a growing movement among some adults to put their phones down and "digitally detox."

So-called "offline clubs" are popping up around the world, according to The Associated Press. There are apps meant to reduce scrolling. Gen Z has leaned into hobbies such as knitting and crocheting to spend more time offline.

In recent years, we've also seen a return to older forms of media, like DVDs, vinyl records and film cameras.

Lachman, the professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, says that in the same way that a record player only plays music and a camera only takes photos, a landline has just one purpose and helps you stay in control of your activities.

Compared to an all-in-one smartphone full of lures to keep you on the device, single-use technologies were originally built because that's all we could do. That's a strength rather than a limitation, he said.

"There are no algorithms, no notifications, nothing fighting for your attention," with the wildly popular Tin Can phone, said Kittleson.

"The whole point is just connection. As simple as it is, that’s what’s been so powerful." 

Senior Writer & Editor

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