PERTH, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – Research conducted by Edith Cowan University connects the rising popularity of vintage-style phone accessories with efforts to distance oneself from smartphones. Lead researcher Dr Jess Hardley explored how individuals handle devices that have become integral to daily routines. The study covers wall-mounted smartphone docks and handsets featuring old-fashioned coiled cords, alongside practices aimed at reducing phone accessibility. Hardley’s investigation is based on over ten years of work with Australian smartphone users.
The study emphasizes physical separation from phones rather than merely limiting screen time. Participants shared that they sometimes leave devices in another room or lock them away during certain periods. One participant kept a phone inside a work drawer after mobile gaming began to interfere with concentration. The research also documents app restrictions, greyscale screen settings, and other modifications intended to limit immediate access. Overall, the findings focus on intentional adjustments in how individuals store and handle smartphones.
Part of that pattern involves retro phone accessories. Certain products enable users to place their phones in fixed locations instead of carrying them around. Others connect modern smartphones to handsets inspired by traditional landline phones. Hardley’s study examines these accessories alongside phone-free events and locking pouches used at concerts. The research does not evaluate whether specific products improve focus or wellbeing but instead records how users are physically redefining their relationship with devices.
Physical separation becomes integrated into smartphone practices
The paper situates these behaviors within a broader history of mobile phones becoming deeply woven into everyday life. Smartphones now combine communication, entertainment, work tools, cameras, payments, and internet access into portable devices. Hardley’s research investigates what occurs when users intentionally make these devices less accessible. The study describes physical distance as one strategy employed when modifying smartphone habits. It also considers how restrictions can function within homes, workplaces, events, and other shared environments.
The publication, titled Revisiting the ‘Snug Tether’: Smartphones in an Era of Scroll-Free Social Events, Landline Accessories, and Device Bans, appeared in M/C Journal. It explores scroll-free social gatherings, retro landline accessories, phone jails, and smartphone restrictions. Hardley revisits earlier academic ideas about mobile phones as devices kept close to their users. The new research emphasizes practices that break that proximity and examines who participates in various forms of smartphone distancing.
Device restrictions extend beyond individual behaviors
The findings come as restrictions on mobile phone use are also implemented in Australian educational settings. From Term 1 of 2024, all public schools in Australia are set to ban or limit mobile phones, following an agreement among education ministers. A survey conducted in 2025, involving nearly 1,000 principals in New South Wales, reported changes after the restrictions were introduced. The federal education ministry states that 87% of respondents observed decreased distractions in classrooms, and 81% noted improvements in learning. These measures represent institutional efforts to control phone access during specific periods.
Hardley’s research continues to focus on how individuals manage their relationships with smartphones as these devices remain embedded in daily life. The study highlights physical separation, decreased accessibility, and phone-free environments as key strategies adopted by users. Retro accessories are viewed as part of this broader set of practices rather than as a distinct technological category. Edith Cowan University released its summary of the research findings on Aug. 18, 2026. This work contributes documented examples to ongoing studies exploring shifts in smartphone usage across Australia.