Why some Atlantans are saying ‘Hello’ again, or for first time, to landlines

Although it may seem like technological advancements are evolving beyond old-fashioned phones — AT&T will eliminate its traditional landline phone service by 2029 — there are modern options that accommodate these stripped-down desires.

For example, AT&T has sustained steady interest in its amiGO watch, which allows kids to make calls to approved contacts, since its launch in 2024.

And Seattle-based company Tin Can has found an audience with its landline phones for kids that feature a sleek design and bright colors (there’s also a Flashback model that hearkens back to phones from the ‘80s).

For Varon, the decision to get a landline was driven by stymying her kids’ access to social media and group chats. “Social media sucks up their energy and their attention span,” said Varon. “I want my kids to go out to a restaurant, look the waiter in the eye, and order off of the menu and have a conversation with an adult and be able to sit at a table throughout a meal without relying on some sort of technology to be able to get through that.”

Her concern is understandable: In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a warning about the harmful effects of social media on teens’ mental health. The following year, the American Psychological Association released a similar advisory.

Her daughter still prefers to video chat with friends in the presence of Varon, but both kids have enjoyed catching up with their grandparents on the landline. She hopes that changes, however.

Historically, landlines were at the heart of a home. The telephone was invented in the mid-1800s (Alexander Graham received the first U.S. patent for it in 1876), and by the 1940s, telephones were common household features.

“It was often placed in the kitchen or hallway or living room, and it was really physically central and symbolically central, too, for the household,” said Shay Yao, an assistant professor of communications at Georgia State University. “Back then, everybody shared access to this one phone, one phone number.”

The phone also served as a gatekeeper. “Parents would often answer the phone first, and they could control who the kids spoke with,” added Yao. “But today, the smartphone is really opposite compared to landline in terms of being more in the format of individualized communication.”

While the return to retro phones may seem nostalgic, akin to the revival of vinyl records and film cameras, Yao also views it as a strategic move for parents.

It’s not just parents seeking this style of communication for their kids, however. Young adults are, too, with surveys showing a growing interest in “dumb” phones among the Gen Z crowd. One option is the Light Phone, which at first glance looks like a smartphone, but the minimalist screen is more like an e-reader, and while it has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can’t browse the internet or check social media on it.

Natanya Norry, a 24-year-old in Cumming, purchased a Light Phone a few months ago after getting fed up with migraines triggered by blue light and the brain fog brought on by “doom scrolling.”

“I’ve noticed that when I do spend a lot of time on screens and I am getting pulled into internet holes and whatnot, beyond just the physical symptoms, it’s like I feel less energy and less motivation, and I get more distressed, and I get more hopeless even if I’m not politically doom scrolling,” said Norry. “It’s just too much information that I’m not really processing and I’m not really taking action based on. And I don’t think that’s a mentally healthy place to occupy for extended amounts of time.”

Using a stripped-down phone isn’t without obstacles — she recently needed an app to access tickets for a concert, and, as a musician, she can’t easily promote her work on social media. But the tradeoff has been worth it for Norry.

Now, she’s more engaged with her surroundings. “Especially on parts of the day where I’m sitting in my room and I’m journaling and it still has my head clear enough that when I do go out and around, I’ve got more mental energy to be attentive to things,” Norry said. “I feel more present. I feel more like online, ironically.”