The pink mobile phone is a deliberately outdated device, technologically speaking: without a front camera, with limited access to the Internet and a game, but perfect for disconnecting.
A retro colored telephone hot pink It is marketed as the latest way to stop the poison of digital addictions. The device carries the Barbie brand and has been launched by HMD, which also makes phones for Nokiain collaboration with the toy manufacturer Mattel.
The phone has been launched in Europe and is aimed at young people, and perhaps their parents, who are looking for a way to “detox digitally“. This is what is known as “dumb phone” for being technologically stripped downit has no front camera, only limited Internet access and a single game.
HMD says it is a response to what it has called an increase in the number of people seeking to reduce “digital impact” in their lives.
Barbie phone hopes to help people digitally detox
Smartphone addiction is increasingly worrying parents, with campaign groups increasingly calling for time limits or bans on the use of the devices.
It is feared that young people will reduce their attention and concentration capacity and at the same time are exposed to inappropriate or illegal content.
Lars Silberbaueran HMD executive, has stated that the Barbie phone aims to help combat smartphone addiction: “We have seen this wave, which started in the United States and has reached Europe, that more and more people want not to have a digital experience all the time”.
the telephone, very pinkit does not have a touch screen. You cannot download applications or access social networks.
Since WhatsApp is not supported, you can only use SMS messaging. This means that you can’t see when someone has read your messagewhen you are typing, or when you last logged in.
There is only one game installed on the phone, a Barbie version of Nokia’s snake called ‘Malibu Snake‘ and colored in pink. The device has a mirror on the front for “touching up on the go,” according to HMD. Buyers will also receive several Barbie cases, a beaded cord with Barbie and a collection of nostalgic Barbie stickers and decals to personalize your phone.
The phone has an introductory price of about 117 euros in UK, twice the price of a basic unbranded Nokia phone.
Why do they give a smartphone to children under 11 years old?
Returning to simpler technology is often considered a way of curb digital addictions. The fee-paying boarding school at the exclusive Eton College recently announced that it would provide some students with brick phones They can only send and receive calls and text messages.
The British telephone operator EE, a subsidiary of British Telecomalso recently advised parents not to allow children under 11 to have a smartphone and instead provide them with a “dumb phone“, which only allows them to call and send text messages.
However, some activists say it is better teach children to use smartphones and other digital devices in moderation and with healthier habits. “What we should do instead is think about how to build really good, sustainable, long-term digital literacy in that generation,” he told the BBC. Pete EtchellsProfessor of Psychology and Scientific Communication at Bath Spa University.
