Going Light: The Effects of Minimal Mobile Phone Adoption on Young Adults' Well-Being Depend on Motivation

Concerns about smartphone dependency have sparked interest in minimal mobile phones: devices supporting basic communication without social apps, web browsing, or games. These design choices are thought to improve well-being, but have not been tested empirically. We conducted a first-of-its-kind longitudinal experiment examining the effects of switching from smartphones to minimal mobile phones on young adults’ psychological well-being over a week (n = 166). To account for individual variation in intrinsic motivation to try a minimal phone, we employed a quasi-experimental design comparing the outcomes of three groups: 1) high-interest volunteers who were asked to use minimal phones or participants that were randomly assigned to either 2) use minimal phones or 3) continue using their own smartphones. Results showed that switching to a minimal phone effectively reduced phone and social media use. However, only high-interest volunteers - those intrinsically motivated to participate - showed significant within-person changes in psychological well-being, reporting reduced stress, increased life satisfaction, and less FoMo. No effects on well-being were observed for those assigned to use the phone. Our results suggest that switching to a minimal mobile phone may support some motivated individuals in improving their sense of agency and well-being in an increasingly connected digital world.