Barbie ‘brick’ phone released to help young people digitally detox

The device is technologically stripped back, with no front camera, limited internet access and one game.

A retro hot pink phone is being marketed as the latest way to curb digital addictions. The device is Barbie-branded and has been released by HMD, which also makes phones for Nokia, in collaboration with toy manufacturer Mattel. 
The flip phone has been launched in Europe and is aimed at young people, and perhaps their parents, who are looking for a way to take a ‘digital detox’. It is technologically stripped back, with no front camera, limited internet access and one game. 
HMD says it is a response to what it has termed a “surge” in people looking for a reduced “digital impact” on their lives. 
Smartphone addiction is a growing concern for parents and campaign groups are increasingly calling for time limits or bans to be imposed on device use. 
There are fears young people will develop shorter attention spans and be exposed to inappropriate or illegal content. 
Lars Silberbauer, a senior executive at HMD, said the Barbie phone aims to help fight smartphone addiction. 
“We’ve seen this surge which started in the US coming to Europe, that more and more people actually want to not be having a digital experience all the time,” he said.
The very pink phone does not have a touch screen. You can’t download apps or access social media. 
As WhatsApp is not compatible, you can only use SMS messaging. This means you can’t see when someone has read your message, when they are typing or when they were last online. 
There is one game installed on the phone, a Barbie-fied version of Nokia’s snake that has been called Malibu Snake and coloured pink. 
The device has a mirror on the front so you can “touch up on the go,” according to HMD.
Buyers also receive a variety of Barbie covers, a beaded lanyard with Barbie charms and a collection of stick-on crystals and nostalgic Barbie stickers to customise their phone.
The handset has a launch price of £99 (€117) in the UK, which is double the cost of a non-branded basic Nokia phone.
Returning to simpler technology is often considered a way to curb digital addictions.
Fee-paying boarding school Eton College recently announced it would provide some students with ‘brick’ phones that can only send and receive calls and texts.
UK-based phone operator EE also recently advised parents that children under 11 years old should not be allowed a smartphone and should be provided instead with a feature phone, also known as a ‘dumb’ phone, which only allows them to call and text.
However, some campaigners say a better approach is to teach children how to use smartphones and other digital devices in moderation and with healthier habits.  
“What we should be doing instead is thinking about, how do we build really good, really long term, sustainable digital literacy skills in that generation,” Pete Etchells, professor of psychology and science communication at Bath Spa university, told the BBC.