TikTok-less iPhone promises ‘to reconnect children with life’ – for £99 a month

No internet, no social media, no scrolling.

No, this isn’t a Nokia 3410 – even that had Snake and a web browser – but a new phone that claims to be the ‘world’s only healthy iPhone for kids’.

Sage Mobile is a modified iPhone 16 being offered in the UK on a £99 a month contract by the American tech company Techless.

The basic handset, launched today, comes installed with software that limits the iPhone’s use to texts, calls and taking photos and videos.

The stripped-back App Store, meanwhile, only offers a few apps, such as for navigating public transport, banking or checking weather forecasts.

‘Harmful websites and adult content are filtered automatically,’ the Sage website adds.

Chris Kaspar, CEO and founder of Techless, told Metro that the idea for the ‘health-first’ handset came from personal experience.

‘I’m a foster parent, and a few years ago, I welcomed two children into my care who weren’t allowed to have smartphones because of past issues,’ he said.

‘One night, I realised how unfair it was that there wasn’t a safe option, something that gave kids a connection without exposing them to the risks that so many smartphones are designed to create.’

It’s almost common knowledge these days that too much time spent on smartphones and social media can increase anxiety, depression and other mental health problems, especially among young people.

Almost every child owns a phone by the time they’re 12, according to an official report.

But youngsters are online long before that – by eight years old, children were plugged in for an average of two hours and 45 minutes a day, according to the media regulator Ofcom.

Jane Johnson, 54, a former teacher from the West Midlands, told Metro that her son, Leo, died by suicide after suffering from depression and anhedonia, the inability to enjoy pleasure. (Social media can worsen the condition, studies show.)

‘I believe smartphones are harming children far more than many parents realise,’the mindset and confidence coach for young people said.

‘Beyond extreme cases like online grooming or harmful material encountered on the internet, it’s the constant presence of social media, eroding self-esteem, encouraging self-diagnosis, disrupting sleep, and affecting brain development.’

Some schools have banned smartphones during school hours, with teachers arguing that children being too glued to glowing screens can be detrimental to their education.

Campaigners are increasingly calling on parents and guardians to give their children ‘dumbphones’, also known as feature phones.

Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood, told Metro: ‘The truth is, the standard smartphone is simply not designed with children’s wellbeing in mind.

‘It’s designed to capture their attention, mine their data, and keep them scrolling.’

Parents tell the campaign group ‘all the time’ that as much as they want to give their children a phone to contact them, they worry they’ll be ‘sucked into TikTok’, which can contribute to low confidence and self-esteem.

Greenwell doubts that dumbphones, like the Sage Mobile, could act as ‘gateways’ to further phone usage down the line.

‘Smartphones are part of life, they’re everywhere and they’re not going anywhere,’ she said.

‘We’re not anti-tech, it’s just about making sure that our kids, whose brains are still being built, are ready for everything that the internet and social media apps bring before we hand over a full-fat smartphone – we’d suggest that’s not before 14, and no social media before 16.’

But Greenwell worries that the Sage phone’s price point is out of reach for low-income families, who often spend more time on their phones.

‘While it’s encouraging to see innovation in this space, safer phones shouldn’t be a luxury item,’ she said. ‘This price point risks sending the message that safety is only for those who can afford it.’

Kaspar said Techless, which partnered with Apple and Vodafone for Sage, intends to offer cheaper contracts in the future. The £99 price tag is down to it being on a contract, which can be cancelled at any time, and the removal of the app store and web browser.

‘At the end of the day, we’re not selling phones, we’re selling trust. Our launch pricing is what is required for us to provide trustworthy, world-class service,’ Kaspar said.

‘Our sincere purpose is to serve as many UK families as possible and we recognise that our launch pricing isn’t right for everyone… yet.’

Academics have never quite agreed about the negative effects of social media and smartphones on children.

In 2020, researchers combed through about 40 studies that have examined the link between the two among teenagers.

They found that as much as excess phone use can worsen the mental health of vulnerable youngsters or keep children away from outside activities like exercise, many young people would suffer the issues they do with or without a phone.

A study in the US last month found that children’s troubled mental health around phone usage had less to do with the amount of hours a day they’re staring at a screen, but their attitudes towards it.

Children at higher risk for suicidal behaviours were those who told researchers their use of technology had become ‘addictive’, struggling to put their mobiles down, even if they used them infrequently.

Addiction, the study stressed, can be the root cause, not just time.

Ioana Axinte, an educational consultant and founder of Play Moments, said that ensuring children and adolescents have meaningful real-world experiences is vital.

‘Do I think Sage Mobile is a bad thing? No, it’s a conversation starter for a conversation we simply have to start having,’ she told Metro.

‘But it must be paired with education, empathy, and engagement. A phone can’t raise a child, relationships do.’

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