PERTH, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – Retro phone accessories are gaining renewed interest as researchers explore ways people distance themselves from smartphones. Edith Cowan University researcher Dr Jess Hardley has investigated shifts in phone use among Australian users for over ten years. Her latest research focuses on wall-mounted smartphone docks, vintage-style handsets, and other devices that help limit constant access. The study also looks at everyday actions people take to make their devices less immediately accessible.
Hardley recorded behaviors such as leaving phones in another room or locking them in drawers. Some participants switch their screens to greyscale or set restrictions on certain apps. One person stored a phone in a work drawer after mobile gaming started disrupting concentration. Although these actions differ in form, they share a common feature. Each creates a physical or digital barrier between the user and their device at specific times.
The research also examines accessories that make smartphones function more like traditional landline phones. Wall-mounted docks keep devices in one fixed position instead of being kept in pockets or held in hand. Some connected handsets resemble older home phones with coiled cords. Hardley analyzed these products along with phone-free gatherings and locking pouches used at concerts. The research does not claim these products improve health, attention, or wellbeing.
Various Ways to Limit Smartphone Use
Hardley’s study explores how mobile phones transitioned from portable communication tools to daily essentials. Modern smartphones combine messaging, entertainment, payments, photography, navigation, work features, and internet access. Her research investigates what happens when users intentionally make these devices harder to reach. Physical separation is one method people use to change their smartphone habits. Restrictions at home, work, events, and shared spaces are also examined.
The paper titled Revisiting the ‘Snug Tether’: Smartphones in an Era of Scroll-Free Social Events, Landline Accessories, and Device Bans was published in M/C Journal. It revisits earlier studies on the close relationship between users and mobile phones. The latest research discusses phone jails, social events without scrolling, retro accessories, and device bans. Edith Cowan University stated the research highlights practices that break the constant proximity often linked to smartphone use.
Public Settings See Increased Phone Restrictions
In Australia, smartphone bans are also being adopted in public schools. Education ministers agreed that from Term 1 of 2024, all public schools would restrict or ban mobile phones. Federal education officials later referenced a New South Wales survey of nearly 1,000 principals, taken after these rules took effect. The government reported that 87% said students were less distracted in classrooms. Additionally, 81% saw improved learning following the restrictions’ implementation.
Hardley’s research continues to focus on how individuals manage smartphones as they remain central to everyday routines. It highlights physical separation, limited access, and phone-free environments as key strategies. Retro handsets and wall-mounted docks are part of this broad approach. On Aug. 18, 2026, Edith Cowan University published a summary of these findings, adding new examples to ongoing research about smartphone use and digital habits.