PERTH, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – In Australia, recent findings from Edith Cowan University reveal a growing interest in vintage phone accessories as part of broader efforts to distance oneself from smartphones. Researcher Dr Jess Hardley explored how individuals are managing devices that have become integral to daily routines. The study includes wall-mounted smartphone docks, handsets with traditional coiled cords, and various practices aimed at making phones less accessible. These insights are based on over ten years of research with Australian smartphone users.
The study emphasizes physical separation from phones rather than merely limiting screen time. Participants reported leaving their devices in different rooms or locking them away during certain periods. One individual kept a phone inside a drawer at work after mobile gaming started to affect their focus. Hardley also documented methods such as app restrictions, greyscale display settings, and other adjustments aimed at reducing immediate access. The core of these findings highlights intentional modifications in how people store and handle smartphones.
Retro phone accessories are another element of this trend. Some products enable users to fix their phones in specific locations instead of carrying them around. Others connect modern smartphones to handsets designed after traditional landline phones. Hardley examined these accessories alongside phone-free events and lockable pouches used at concerts. The research does not assess whether individual items enhance concentration or wellbeing but instead focuses on how users are physically altering their relationship with devices.
Physical distancing becomes part of smartphone use
The study situates these practices within a broader history of mobile phones becoming deeply embedded in daily life. Smartphones now serve as tools for communication, entertainment, work, photography, payments, and internet access in portable forms. Hardley’s research investigates what occurs when users intentionally make these devices harder to reach. It describes physical distance as a key strategy for adjusting smartphone habits and explores how device restrictions are applied in homes, workplaces, events, and shared environments.
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. It delves into scroll-free social gatherings, vintage landline accessories, phone jails, and restrictions on smartphone use. Hardley revisits earlier academic concepts of mobile phones as devices kept close to users and instead emphasizes practices that break that proximity. The study also considers who participates in various forms of distancing from smartphones.
Device limitations extend beyond individual efforts
The research coincides with policies in Australian schools that restrict or ban mobile phones. From Term 1 of 2024, all public schools across Australia are set to enforce these restrictions. A 2025 survey of nearly 1,000 New South Wales principals reported noticeable changes following the implementation of these rules. According to the federal education ministry, 87% of respondents observed that students were less distracted in classrooms, and 81% noted improvements in learning outcomes. These measures exemplify institutional limits on phone access during designated times.
Hardley’s work continues to focus on how individuals manage their interactions with smartphones as these devices remain integral to everyday life. The research identifies physical separation, decreased accessibility, and phone-free environments as key strategies adopted by users. Retro accessories are part of this broader set of practices rather than a standalone technological category. Edith Cowan University released its summary of these findings on Aug. 18, 2026. The research provides documented examples contributing to ongoing studies of evolving smartphone use in Australia.