Recently, a wave of "dumbphones" has been sweeping across the Western world. More and more people are choosing traditional cellphones over smartphones with advanced functionalities, in a bid to cut the time they spend staring at screens and stave off the negative impacts from social media.

Smartphone addiction is also a serious problem in China. Many advocate limiting time on smartphones, particularly for young people, who should be encouraged to take up other hobbies. However, some argue smartphones themselves are not the root of the problem, and that the return of "dumbphones" won't cure people of their addiction to smartphones.

Li Ang (www.kepu.gov.cn): Young people's overuse of smartphones poses a threat to their physical and psychological health and can lead to several social issues. 

Too much smartphone use has the potential to change the neural structure and function of the brain for the worse, damaging cognitive abilities like self-control, attention, memory and decision-making. Sleep loss and disrupted daily routines resulting from smartphone addiction will also harm cognitive ability. Moreover, obsession with smartphones can estrange adolescents from others, and being deprived of them can lead to feelings of anxiety, loneliness and irritability. 

Smartphone dependence reflects individuals' evasion of reality. If they are stuck in a negative state in real life, teenagers tend to overuse smartphones, seeking comfort and hope on their screens.

To wean adolescents off smartphones, parents, together with teachers, need to encourage children to develop an optimistic attitude to real life, so that they will genuinely feel like putting down their smartphones. In practice, there should be clear and strictly followed timetables for young people's activities, and smartphone use should be decreased until a balance is reached between screen time and daily life. If some of them can't adapt to limited smartphone use, they can try developing some alternative hobbies to cope with the feeling of emotional emptiness.

Editorial (www.cqcb.com): A smartphone is just a tool. Like many inventions popping up in human history, what matters is how they are used. The last controversial invention was probably television. While enabling viewers to access information and enjoy entertainment much more easily than before, it was also blamed for an increase in myopia sufferers and couch potatoes. In retrospect, while the majority of society was addicted to television, some deliberately kept away from it and chose other lifestyles, gravitating toward books, sports, tourism or other activities. As new inventions like computers and smartphones have emerged, television addiction ceased to be a problem.

The same is true of smartphones. Inevitably, new tools will appear in the future to replace smartphones. For any attractive novelty, whether it's "an angel or a demon" depends on the person who uses it.

It's impossible to completely cut young people off from their smartphones, as they have to depend on them for daily work, shopping, payment, socializing and entertainment. These are the tasks that "dumbphones" can't complete. In modern times, people use smartphones out of the need for a more convenient and comfortable life, and it is also part of the foundation for social progress. If people really want a life without smartphones, it's very simple—just turn off the mobile network and WiFi. They don't need to bother switching to a "dumbphone." BR

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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