Back in the day, when you wanted to call a friend, you had to use “The Phone.” The phone — often the only one in your house — was a landline attached to the wall with a cord. That meant you could wander roughly five to 10 feet while chatting before it yanked you back to reality. Maybe you’d even mindlessly twirl the cord while talking, but eventually, you’d get bored, hang up, and go do something else.
On TikTok, many people are recreating this nostalgia by tethering their phone to a wall. But it’s not just for the throwback of it all. In fact, the main goal is to help people lower their screen time by pretending they have an old-school landline and treating their smartphones as such. Instead of taking their device everywhere they go — bed, bathroom, couch — they’re opting to keep their cell in one spot. It’s yet another way folks are going analog in 2026.
The landline trend can take a multitude of forms. Creator @erinwakeland.studio got a cute gold chain, hung it on her key rack by her front door, and then attached her phone to it. When she’s home, she only allows herself to use her phone when sitting in a nearby chair, and it replicates what it felt like to use a landline back in the day, or even how it felt to play in the “computer room” when desktops had just gained popularity. “This is where my phone is when I’m home,” she said in the viral clip. “It’s a physical boundary that helps my digital boundary.”
In her comments, someone said, “Oooooh, I am INFLUENCED.” Another wrote, “Let’s bring back landlines.” Meanwhile, others are actually getting landlines for their home, while some are opting to turn their cell phones into a landline, like @askcatgpt, who made a device that connects your cell to a retro-looking phone via Bluetooth. Here’s why the idea is taking off. (Again.)
Landlines Are So Back
According to Dr. Suzanne Wallach, LMFt, Psy.D., a licensed psychotherapist and executive director of SoCal DBT in Los Angeles, it’s becoming more common than ever to numb out on your phone. “Our nervous systems are trying to regulate themselves,” she tells Bustle, pointing to many people’s constant desire to scroll.
Every time you reach for your phone, you get a small dopamine hit, as well as a sense of novelty. “You also might experience a sense of connection to others, a break from reality, and the comfort of feeling occupied or busy doing something,” she tells Bustle.
If your screen time is astronomical as a result, it makes sense to look for ways to knock it down a bit and break the habit, if only to free up your time and reduce stress. “Turning your phone into a landline is a great idea for some, because it simply limits how much you can [scroll],” she says. “You can’t endlessly doom scroll, and you can’t take it with you wherever you go.”
It also makes your phone time a little more sacred. If you tether your phone to the wall and only use it in a designated spot, then you might savor your scroll and texts a little more. Once you get up, however, you’re free to focus on other things.
Of course, there’s the strong nostalgia factor, too, especially for elder millennials. There’s something so cute about having a real phone on your table, and one that you get to hang up with a click. Memories.
Trying The Landline Trend
The easiest way to try this trend is by attaching your phone to a chain, cord, or leash of sorts. When you get home, clip it on and pretend like it’s now a landline with a cord. If you want to make a call, check a text, or look something up, you have to go over to the designated area to do it. With your phone in a more contained location, you should find yourself getting bored with it a little faster — and your screen time will lower as a result too.
If your screen time is super high, Wallach recommends easing into the landline trend. Start by tethering your phone just in the morning or just at night, and while it’s in timeout, you can cook, shower, or watch TV without it in your hands. “This will likely change for the better the way you go about your day, as your brain will get more dopamine hits from real-life experiences,” she says.
As you walk around your house without your phone, try to savor the difference it makes in how you feel. Do you feel freer? Lighter? Less stressed? This is also the perfect moment to pick up a few hobbies, like taking a phone-free walk, reading, journaling, etc. “The more you participate in life off and away from your phone, the more fulfilling you will find it,” she says. “I almost guarantee it.”
Source:
Dr. Suzanne Wallach, LMFt, Psy.D., licensed psychotherapist, executive director of SoCal DBT in Los Angeles
