PERTH, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – Recent findings from Edith Cowan University reveal a growing interest in retro phone accessories, which is linked to efforts aimed at distancing oneself from smartphones. The study by researcher Dr Jess Hardley explores how individuals handle devices that have become integral to everyday routines. The research considers wall-mounted smartphone docks, traditional handsets with coiled cords, and methods that limit phone accessibility. It draws on over ten years of observations involving Australian smartphone users.
The study investigates physical separation techniques, emphasizing how people intentionally create distance from their phones rather than merely limiting screen time. Participants shared strategies such as leaving devices in another room or locking them away during certain periods. One individual stored their phone in a work drawer after mobile gaming began to interfere with focus. Hardley also documented usage restrictions like app limits, greyscale display settings, and other modifications aimed at reducing instant access. The core finding highlights conscious adjustments in how users store and interact with their smartphones.
Retro phone accessories form a notable aspect of this behavioral shift. Some products enable users to position their smartphones in fixed locations, avoiding the need to carry devices between rooms. Others link modern smartphones to handsets resembling traditional landline phones. Hardley examined these accessories alongside practices such as phone-free events and the use of locking pouches at concerts. The research does not assess whether individual products directly enhance concentration or wellbeing but instead documents the ways in which users are physically altering their relationship with their devices.
Physical distancing becomes a component of smartphone use
The report situates these behaviors within a broader history of mobile phones becoming deeply embedded in daily routines. Smartphones serve multiple functions including communication, entertainment, work tools, cameras, payments, and internet access, all in portable devices. Hardley’s research investigates the outcomes when users actively make these devices less accessible. It describes physical distance as a method employed in adjusting smartphone habits and examines how device restrictions are implemented in homes, workplaces, events, and shared environments.
The study, 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 explores scroll-free social gatherings, retro landline accessories, phone jails, and restrictions on smartphone use. Hardley revisits earlier academic concepts of mobile phones as devices kept close to users, emphasizing practices that disrupt this proximity. The research also considers who participates in various forms of smartphone distancing.
Restrictions on phone usage go beyond individual choices
The findings come at a time when Australian schools are also enforcing limits on smartphone use. From Term 1 of 2024, all public schools in Australia will ban or restrict mobile phones, as agreed upon by education ministers. A survey conducted in 2025 involving nearly 1,000 New South Wales principals reported notable changes following the implementation of these policies. The federal education ministry stated that 87% of respondents observed decreased student distraction in classrooms, while 81% reported improvements in learning. These measures are institutional steps to limit phone access during specific parts of the day.
Hardley’s research continues to focus on how individuals manage their relationship with smartphones amid their persistent presence in daily life. It highlights physical separation, accessibility reduction, and phone-free settings as key strategies adopted by users. Retro accessories are part of this broader spectrum of practices, rather than a standalone category of technology. Edith Cowan University shared a summary of the research findings on Aug. 18, 2026. This work contributes additional documented examples to ongoing investigations into evolving smartphone behaviors in Australia.