One hundred and fifty reais. This was the price of the cell phone that lawyer Fernanda Martins recently bought for her 9-year-old son. She is part of a group of parents who are reviving old cell phones to combat the harm smartphones cause to children's and teenagers' learning and physical and mental health.
Those old devices that offer little more than making and receiving calls are now called "dumbphones." And, revived from obscurity, they are starting to be seen as weapons against the "smartphones."
This option has been suggested by parent movements that, based on research, advocate for an agreement among families so that children and teenagers do not receive these devices until the age of 14 and only use social media after the age of 16.
In Brazil, the Desconecta Movement, formed just over a month ago by families from private schools and already with 20 thousand followers on Instagram, raises these flags.
The market has noticed the trend and is already taking advantage of it. Startups are being created to sell these basic cell phones, and Nokia, a major manufacturer of old cell phones, has placed the slogan "Dumb phone, smart choice" on its website.