PERTH, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – Retro phone accessories are drawing fresh attention as researchers examine how people create more distance from smartphones. Edith Cowan University researcher Dr Jess Hardley has studied changing phone habits among Australian users for more than a decade. Her latest work looks at wall-mounted smartphone docks, traditional-style handsets and other tools that reduce constant access. The research also examines everyday steps people take to make their devices less immediate.
Hardley documented practices that range from leaving phones in another room to locking them inside drawers. Some users also switch screens to greyscale or place limits on selected apps. One participant stored a phone in a work drawer after mobile gaming began disrupting concentration. These actions differ in form, but they share a practical feature. Each creates a physical or digital barrier between the user and the device during certain periods of the day.
The research also covers accessories that make smartphones function more like traditional landline phones. Wall-mounted docks can keep a device in one fixed place instead of a pocket or hand. Some connected handsets use designs associated with older home telephones, including coiled cords. Hardley studied these products alongside phone-free gatherings and locking pouches used at concerts. The research does not establish that such products improve health, attention or wellbeing.
Smartphone distancing takes several forms
Hardley’s paper examines how mobile phones moved from portable communication devices into tools used throughout daily life. Modern smartphones combine messaging, entertainment, payments, photography, navigation, work functions and internet access. Her research focuses on what changes when users deliberately make those devices less convenient to reach. The study treats physical separation as one method people use to change smartphone habits. It also considers restrictions used across homes, workplaces, events and shared spaces.
The paper is titled Revisiting the ‘Snug Tether’: Smartphones in an Era of Scroll-Free Social Events, Landline Accessories, and Device Bans. It appeared in M/C Journal and revisits earlier research on the close relationship between users and mobile phones. The latest work covers phone jails, scroll-free social events, retro accessories and device restrictions. Edith Cowan University said the research reflects practices that interrupt the constant proximity often associated with smartphone use.
Phone limits also appear in public settings
Australia has also introduced smartphone restrictions in public schools. Education ministers agreed that all public schools would ban or restrict mobile phones from Term 1 of 2024. Federal education officials later cited a New South Wales survey of almost 1,000 principals after those rules took effect. The government said 87% reported that students were less distracted in classrooms. It also said 81% reported improved learning following the introduction of phone restrictions.
Hardley’s research remains centered on how people manage smartphones as the devices continue to play a major role in daily routines. It identifies physical separation, reduced accessibility and phone-free settings among the methods users have adopted. Retro handsets and wall-mounted docks form one part of that broader set of practices. Edith Cowan University published its summary of the findings on Aug. 18, 2026, adding new examples to continuing research on smartphone use and digital habits.