Maine parents are calling landlines their smartest parenting move ever as they watch their children pick up corded phones to call friends, tell jokes, and make plans without the distractions and dangers of smartphones. What started with one mom’s worry about smartphone addiction has grown into a movement of about two dozen families who’ve installed old-school landlines or internet phones that function the same way, giving kids connection without apps, screens, or internet access. Caron Morse, a social worker who sees firsthand how smartphones expose children to inappropriate content and online bullying, convinced neighbors and friends to join her experiment after realizing her daughters needed to stay connected to friends but not to social media.
The results have surprised everyone as parents report their children have become better conversationalists, more focused during phone calls, and genuinely engaged in making plans rather than disappearing into filters and distractions. Kids who once ignored each other on the school bus while staring at screens are now calling friends to share jokes, arrange fishing trips, and discuss bake sales using phones with push-button dial pads and spiral cords. Digital wellness experts agree that pushing smartphone ownership past ages nine or ten is beneficial for children, and landlines offer a viable alternative that keeps kids connected without opening them to the overwhelming content that smartphones provide. The movement has grown so much that these Maine families launched a Landline Kids website to encourage others nationwide to embrace what might be the most revolutionary parenting trend: going backwards to move forward.
