When I was in high school, smartphones were just arriving. My first phone was a silver BlackBerry with a smooth ball in the middle. I got it when I was sixteen because I was trying out for track and needed a way to communicate with my parents if practice got cancelled or something was wrong. I thought it was so cool that I could use my phone to text and call my friends. Shortly, however, it wasn’t enough. I needed a device that was easier to use and could hold social media.
Over the next 4 years, I navigated between Androids, flip phones, and iPhones. All of my friends were new to things like Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram, but I wanted to communicate with them. I wanted to fit in. Be cool. See what I was missing that everyone else was experiencing.
Two years later, I realized that while my iPhone was useful, it didn’t live up to the hype everyone had been talking about. Instead of feeling connected, I felt disconnected and empty. Every time I liked a photo or scrolled, I wondered why I didn’t look like that person or have the funds for the exotic vacations and trips they seemed to take every weekend.
Today, I primarily use social media as an author. I aim to create content that resonates with my audience, and I rarely scroll through it. But when I do, I find myself feeling the same emotions I did as a teen: unloved, not enough, and missing out.
Thankfully, today’s teens are noticing this pattern. While they are addicted to their phones and social media, going offline has become one of the year's most popular wellness trends. Gen Z is trading in their smartphones for simple, feature-limited mobile phones, often coined “dumb phone,” because all they can do is call, text, or access very basic internet. They’re also exchanging cameras for polaroids, apps for notebooks, and an analog bag to reach for instead of their phone. The bag typically contains crafts, crossword puzzles, journals, and books. It seems that a generation that was raised by technology is searching for something beyond it.
If what we repeatedly give our attention to forms us, how should people of faith discern what deserves access to their minds and hearts?
Pushing Back Against Constant Connectivity
In Matthew 6:21, we read these words: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (NIV). While most people associate this Scripture with money, many of us tend to treasure jobs, status, or even social likes. It isn’t always bad to value these things, but it becomes a problem when we prioritize them over God.
In a similar notion, Gen Z is pushing back against culture's constant connectivity through devices because of endless notifications, algorithmic identities, and performance-based online existence. Social media can be nice, but it also comes with its immense downfalls: comparison, envy, and insecurity are just a few to top the list.
While young adults are trading their smartphones in for dumb ones, or using the ones they do have in this manner, it’s important to note that this trend is being framed as boundary-setting and not nostalgia. Gen Z knows the importance of technology and loves it. They appreciate all that it does for them. I don’t believe most of them wish to live in a prehistoric world without these devices. But they do desire not to have to be “on” all the time. Constant connectivity blurs rest, identity, and worth, and it seems that this generation has finally had enough to draw a line.
The Benefits of Using Technology Less
In addition to drawing this boundary, Gen Z is experiencing the mental health benefits of using technology less. They’re seeing improved anxiety, better focus, and more restful sleep. They’re also learning to improve their self-worth and root their identity in someone deeper than the screen.
As the rise of this digital minimalism surfaces, we must remember that young adults are coping the only way they know how. These actions aren’t a fad, but a coping mechanism for change.
The irony is two-fold: These tools, like social media and smartphones, were created to connect us. Make us readily accessible 24/7, 365 days a year. But maybe that’s the problem. When you replace letters and phone calls and in-person meet-ups with quick texts, dozens of Zoom meetings, and hundreds of Slack threads, something is missing. What was designed to connect us has often only intensified our loneliness.
If you’re feeling this loneliness today, I want you to take a good look at what Scripture tells us in Proverbs 4:23. I mentioned Matthew 6 earlier, but the Bible gives us much knowledge and wisdom around attention, focus, and guarding our hearts.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (NIV)
We’re called to guard our hearts because this world is not as the Lord intended it. We’re also sinful human beings living in a broken place. Temptations, distractions, and chaos surround us. Even good things, like technology or smartphones, when abused, can lead to our greatest downfalls. This is why I believe Matthew 6:22 reminds us that the eye is the lamp of the body, and we must protect every part of ourselves that impacts our health. This is a body, mind, and soul phenomenon that should never be taken lightly.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” - Matthew 6:22-23, NIV
Our world constantly fills us with input that shapes our desires, identity, and self-worth. So I have to say, I love that Gen Z is taking a stand to push back against this input. The goal isn’t anti-technology or to ignore the resources and tools God has given us. Rather, I think about it in terms of moderation, intentional use, and healthy boundaries.
4 Questions That Reveal the Toll of Tech
If you’re feeling burned out, overwhelmed, and lonely today, might I encourage you to consider a few things? First, don’t judge Gen Z for this “trend.” Take it at face value and ask yourself how you might learn from this experience. Second, have an open and honest heart-to-heart with the Lord about the priorities of your heart. Ask Him to reveal where your treasures are and then ask Him to align those treasures with His will. Finally, close your time by journaling the answers to these questions:
· Who controls your attention?
· How much time do you spend on your phone every day?
· How could you connect with someone this week (technology-free)?
· What voices shape your sense of value?
Taking time to process these questions can be a challenge, but I believe that uncovering the treasures of our hearts is important to our spiritual growth with the Lord. If you’re looking for small and realistic steps you can take today to reduce smartphone usage and connect with God, try one of these practices:
· Dedicated “Phone-free hours” once a week.
· Turn off your notifications for a certain period of time.
· Learn to reclaim silence without shame by being okay with periods of silence.
A Prayer to Unplug and Connect
Dear Jesus,
As Gen Z trades in smartphones for dumb ones, would you show us how to apply these habits to our hearts? While some might say this is just a trend or fad, show us what we can learn from unplugging and connecting with you. Help us to connect with those around us in better ways and to be present in a world that’s often loud. We love, praise, and thank you, Jesus.
Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Manuel Faba Ortega
