If you’re in the clutches of smartphone addiction, a ‘dumb’ new device promises to dramatically slash your screen time.
The Sage phone is a simplified iPhone handset launched in the UK this week by American technology firm Techless.
It comes without internet, web browsers, games and social apps like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.
Simply a modified iPhone 16 loaded with custom software, its lack of engaging apps is designed to encourage smartphone addicts to turn their attention elsewhere.
According to the firm, the simplified handset lets children and adults ‘reconnect with real life’ and reclaim important ‘life hours’ – but it comes at a hefty price.
The Sage phone starts from £99 per month, which is more than double the cost of a typical two-year iPhone contract.
According to Techless, the Sage phone is ‘built on a foundation of digital wellbeing and simplicity’ and offers a ‘sleek, secure alternative to traditional smartphones’.
‘Designed for children taking their first step into digital life, as well as adults seeking a healthier relationship with tech, Sage challenges the norms of always-on culture,’ it said.
The Sage phone, launched in the UK this week, is designed to ‘help families stay connected without the chaos of modern digital life’
The Sage phone is an iPhone 16 but with modified software that prevents the internet and certain apps from being accessed
The new device has been created with children in mind, although it’s suitable for adults in the throes of a smartphone addition too.
Chris Kaspar, CEO and founder of Techless, said his firm ‘didn’t want to build a “parental control” phone where parents keep tabs on what kids are looking at.’
‘We wanted to build a device that’s safe by design, not safe by surveillance,’ said Kaspar, who has six children with his wife in Texas.
‘With Sage, we’ve created a smartphone that helps people reconnect with real life, not just reduce screen time.’
The Sage phone is available as two modified iPhone models – the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 Pro – which are loaded with Sage’s custom software.
Although it won’t allow downloads of popular additive apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, it’s not completely lacking in apps.
Preloaded are some described as ‘essential’ – among them Phone, Messages, Maps, Calendar, Calculator, PayPal, Spotify, Uber and the camera app.
While a typical iPhone is ‘built for endless engagement’, the Sage phone only carries the essentials that a young adult getting their first taste of independence might need.
Preloaded are some apps described as ‘essential’ – Phone, Messages, Maps, Calendar, Calculator, PayPal, Spotify, Uber and the camera app.
For example, if a young user of the Sage phone was at a parent-free school ball, they’d be able to take photos, phone their parents for a lift and listen to music on the way back.
In this way, Sage phone is truer to the concept of what a mobile phone was 20 years ago, but packaged in the familiar confines of a modern device.
Techless acknowledges that kids are ‘smart’ and know how to delete apps, perform factory resets and download VPNs in an attempt to access the apps they want.
But the firm promises parents there are ‘no loopholes for workarounds’, meaning young users won’t be able to trick the software into downloading the banned platforms.
For adults, meanwhile, the device offers acts a form of ‘rebellion against digital noise’ – ideal for creatives, minimalists, and anyone who wants to ‘live more and scroll less’.
It will give people a clean break from time-sapping social apps, although they’ll have to rely on Messages instead of WhatsApp to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues.
Already available in the US, the Sage phone was officially launched on Wednesday and is available for Brits to pre-order on the Sage website before shipping the week starting August 25.
It costs £99 per month for a modified iPhone 16e iPhone 16 Pro, with Apple Care included, although there is an additional set-up fee.
Feels familiar but different’: Sage phone is truer to the concept of what a mobile phone was 20 years ago, but packaged in the familiar confines of a modern device
The brand’s UK launch is rooted in growing concerns around online safety, youth mental health, and technology overload (file photo)
The brand’s UK launch coincides with increasing concerns surrounding online safety and smartphone addiction for kids and teens.
The Sage phone aims to greatly reduce the risk of kids being contacted online by eliminating the platforms sexual predators use.
A recent NSPCC report revealed more than 7,000 online grooming crimes were recorded in the UK in a single year, with most victims aged 12 to 15.
Heavy smartphone use in kids has been linked with mental health problems like depression, emotional isolation, reduced physical inactivity and poor sleep patterns.
According to a study last year, one fifth of teens have ‘problematic’ smartphone use putting them at risk of issues like depression.
Another 2024 study found children addicted to technology including smartphones and video games are more at risk of psychosis.
What is smartphone addiction?
Currently, smartphone addiction isn’t officially recognised by psychologists as a separate mental condition like depression or bipolar disorder.
However, the term has now become far more accepted as scientists warn of a worrying rise in cases.
Recent studies have suggested more than a quarter of the global population suffers from smartphone addiction while rates could be as high as 70 per cent in countries such as China and Saudi Arabia.
Likewise, a survey from the Pew Research Center found that 95 per cent of UK teens said that they were online ‘almost constantly’.
However, several prominent researchers suggest that this could be stretching the term ‘addiction’ a little too far.
Professor Mark Griffiths, a leading expert on internet addiction from Nottingham Trent University, told MailOnline: ‘There’s a difference between problematic smartphone use and addictive smartphone use.’
Even if you spend hours on your phone each day and feel that you just can’t put your phone down, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are addicted.
Researchers say that smartphone addiction is becoming more common around the world. Scientists have found that China, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia had the highest rates of smartphone use, they found, while Germany and France had the lowest
Previous studies have shown that problematic smartphone use has generally increased across the world. However, many people may have problematic use but not be fully addicted
Addiction, unlike problematic use, changes our behaviour at the neurological level and embeds deeply compulsive and dependent behaviours.
‘Most children would not ever fulfil my criteria of being addicted to a smartphone,’ says Professor Griffiths.
‘Even though a lot of them will experience problematic use which will quite clearly have detrimental effects on their life.’
Professor Griffiths adds: ‘If I’m assessing smartphone addiction I’m using the word addiction in exactly the same way I would apply it to heroin, alcohol, or any other drugs.’
Likewise, Dr Daria Kuss, a chartered psychologist and expert on addictive behaviour from Nottingham Trent University, told MailOnline: ‘Smartphone addiction is a psychological condition in which a user develops symptoms traditionally associated with substance dependence.’
