As if raising kids was not challenging enough the parents of today are plagued with an additional obstacle: cell phones. In our overly plugged-in digital world it, in which children (and even toddlers) can be seen glued to enticing screens, parents must decide how to navigate the issue of cell phones with their kids. Do you get them one? Do you leave your child left out to be a social pariah? How do you stay in touch when they’re away without a phone? These are just some of the questions that arise. Luckily, one company is here with a solution. Gabb Wireless, founded by Stephern Dalby has created a phone just for kids.
The Gabb Phone is intended to be the ideal “first cell phone for kids.” It allows parents and guardians to communicate with their kids or teens, while preventing a dreaded cell-phone addiction from developing. The phone features just 12 essential apps, which include: phone, messaging, contacts, camera, video, gallery, calendar, calculator, clock, voice recorder, FM radio, and file manager. The minimalism is meant to decrease screen time to leave extra time for hobbies, friends and family time, homework, sports, art, and essentially anything that is productive to a child’s development, rather than a detriment.
Although at first glance the restrictions would seem like something kids are opposed to, the opposite has proved to be true. One of the brand’s ambassadors, Kelana Humphrey explains, “I like Gabb because I’m not even tempted to waste time on my phone.” The nationally ranked 12-year-old motocross racer is an ideal case study of what can be done when a child is not aimlessly scrolling on their phone. In a sense, a goal of the Gabb Phone is to bring back the childhood of the past, to today’s generation. “This may sound surprising, but the reason why kids like our phone is because they don’t spend a lot of time on it—kids are happier when they are out playing with friends, developing talents, and connecting with humans, not sitting alone in a locked room swiping a screen,” explains Dalby.
Besides solving the cell phone issue most parents and guardians are faced with, the Gabb Wireless philosophy is even inspiring for adults. Perhaps a “less is more” approach to phones is the digital-detox we all need. To learn more about the Gabb Phone visit https://gabbwireless.com/.