Can 'Tin Can' be the answer to delaying smartphone use? Some Colorado families are giving it a try. But here's where it gets controversial: is it really a viable alternative to smartphones, or just a temporary trend?
Lauren Zobec compared her kids' first experience with a landline phone to aliens learning how to talk. They were holding it way out, didn't know how to talk, answer it, or what to say during a conversation. Zobec, a nurse and mother of two, is among thousands of parents trying to delay smartphone use for her kids.
Research shows smartphones for early adolescents are linked to higher rates of depression, obesity, and poor sleep. Early access to social media has been linked to cyberbullying and bad behavior. But parents still want their kids connected to friends and family.
This is where Tin Can comes in. Founded by Chet Kittleson, it offers landline phones connected by cords using the Internet. The company has seen explosive growth, with call volume increasing 100 times in a year, and demand from all 50 states and worldwide. The phones are designed to thwart spammers and marketing people from reaching kids.
Dr. Benjamin Mullin, a child psychiatrist, sees a surge in interest from parents about landlines to bolster friend and family connections, which can directly thwart anxiety caused by too much Internet time. However, Rosanna Breaux, a psychologist, notes that cell phones and social media aren't inherently bad for all kids and can provide community for those who feel marginalized or lonely.
The Tin Can experiment has its challenges. Call volume jumped 100 times on Christmas Day, causing outages across the country. But families like the Wisemans and the Sings find it beneficial. The Wiseman kids, Miles and Jules, have to take turns with the landline, learning etiquette and how to ask and answer questions. The Sings' daughter, who lives on a boat, uses the phone to stay connected with friends during travels.
Zobec, a participant in the Tin Can experiment, hopes it will be a long-term replacement for smartphones. She wants other parents to delay smartphone use until the teenage years and especially social media. She believes parents need to stick together to make this happen.
But the question remains: is Tin Can a sustainable solution, or just a temporary trend? The controversy lingers, and the debate continues.
