UAE parents embrace safer smartphones without social media to prevent kids' screen addiction

Dubai: In a new trend, parents in the UAE are opting for smartphones that exclude addictive apps, social media, and other online distractions to safeguard their children from excessive screen time and digital dependency.

Following the success of the parent-led Screenwise Child UAE movement, co-founders of Screenwise Dubai, Amelia Haughey, Samantha Bohnacker and Natalie Pietrobon, are now promoting what they describe as “digital balance in a hyper-connected world.”

The trio even went on to launched a new company, Kairos, to advance this mission. Evolving from the advocacy work of Screenwise Child UAE, highlighted by Gulf News last year, the company aims to support families and individuals in using technology more consciously.

The co-founders describe Kairos as an organisation dedicated to delaying children’s exposure to social media and encouraging the development of healthier digital habits within families.

“We’re not anti-tech. We are far from it,” said Bohnacker, a British chartered surveyor and mother of two.

“We believe technology should add to our lives, not pull us away from them. Our work is about protecting attention and human connection, so that progress remains powerful and purposeful.”

Haughey, an executive leadership consultant, qualified lawyer and mother of four, who initiated Screenwise Child UAE movement inspired by a similar movement back home in the UK, said: “We aim to bring awareness and knowledge to topics which children, teens and families are facing. We want to promote ‘intentional technology use’ and support families in developing healthier digital habits.”

From dumb phones to Balance Phone

As reported by Gulf News last year, some parents involved in the Screenwise Child UAE movement had already begun turning to “dumb phones” i.e., basic phones with no internet or smart features.

Now, as part of their new mission, the Kairos team is introducing thoughtfully designed smartphone alternatives with fewer frills into the UAE market.

“We wish to work on solutions and bring them to the UAE and wider Middle East. One of our solutions, and our first, has been introducing the Balance Phone to the UAE,” said Pietrobon, a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot-turned consultant and a mother-of-two.

The Kairos mums say the Balance Phone, developed by two friends in Barcelona, Albert Beltran Feliu and Carlos Fontclara Bargallo, is designed to support intentional and focused technology use, offering a safer option for children and others seeking a more balanced digital lifestyle.

Kairos will host a talk on screen time on June 12 at ICD Brookfield Place in DIFC, featuring Dr Marie Thompson, a British clinical psychologist from Vivamus Psychology and Counselling Clinic in Dubai.

“We will have the Balance Phone there for people to see after joining us for an informal chat,” said Bohnacker.

Operating on a custom-built operating system available on select devices, the Balance Phone blocks access to social media, streaming services, gaming apps, and inappropriate content, while still allowing access to practical, regionally relevant tools such as Google Maps, Google Pay, Careem, and WhatsApp for communication. With minimalist user interface, it limits background app activity and includes time caps and focus features to encourage purposeful usage, she explained.

Striking middle ground

This shift towards safer smartphones that strike a middle ground between basic feature phones, which are primarily used for calls, and full-featured smartphones that are often linked to addictive content, comes amidst mounting global concerns over screen addiction and online risks echoed in several researches.

These include a study released in March by HMD, a Finnish mobile phone manufacturer best known for producing Nokia-branded smartphones and feature phones, in collaboration with Perspectus Global, an independent international research agency headquartered in London.

The study, which surveyed more than 25,000 children and adults across six countries, including the UAE, revealed that 51% of children had been contacted by strangers online, and 40% had encountered harmful content.

“While technology opens incredible doors, it also exposes kids to real risks,” said Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, Vice President and Business Head of HMD in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

“We believe digital safety shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be built in from the start. Our research found that over half of the parents surveyed regret giving their child a phone too soon and sought tech that respects both their child’s curiosity and parents’ need to protect.”

Now, a Better Phone?

He said this insight helped shape HMD’s ‘Better Phone Project’ and the development of the Fusion X1, a device specifically designed from the ground up for teens.

“We co-created solutions with parents, educators, teens, and mental health experts from 84 countries. The Fusion X1 includes tamper-proof parental controls, GPS tracking with geo-fenced zones, screen-time management, and approved-only communication. Access to social media and web browsing is restricted by default and can be unlocked only when deemed appropriate by parents.”

Notably, Kochhar said, the device features real-time AI content filtering through a partnership with SafeToNet, a UK-based technology company specialising in AI-powered digital safety solutions designed to protect children online by blocking harmful content before it reaches the user.

“This level of real-time protection directly into our smartphones is a global first. We want to help parents give kids their digital independence, without handing them the entire internet till they decide to,” Kochhar added.

Fighting ‘smart’ perils

Smartphone use has been linked to poor mental health outcomes, including increased anxiety, loneliness, and long-term negative effects, particularly when introduced at an early age. Some studies have described smartphones as a “constant distraction”, with children even reporting disruption caused by their peers’ digital habits.

Earlier this year, the public and private schools that follow the Ministry of Education curriculum in the UAE began implementing a ministerial decision prohibiting students and parents from bringing mobile phones onto school campus.

Another major initiative to counter the perils of smartphones was the introduction of the UAE Children’s Digital Wellbeing Pact at the World Government Summit in February. Spearheaded by Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, alongside key ministers, the first-of-its-kind initiative in the region is in line with the Year of Community.

The Pact addresses serious online risks to children such as cyberbullying and exposure to harmful content by advocating for a safer and more secure digital environment.

It highlighted that children who exceed two hours of screen time daily face a greater risk of high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. Additionally, a 2019 study found that approximately 33% of children in the UAE had experienced online bullying.

Facilitated by the Digital Wellbeing Council and the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, the Pact aims to unite government entities, tech firms, and telecom providers in a collective effort to enhance online safety for children. The parents-led movement to embrace smartphones with fewer frills is complementing the Pact.