The Current Parents are bringing back the landline
Mar 16, 2026
Isabella Nguyen, a Grade 12 student and youth leader on TikTok's Youth Council, and Maddie Freeman, founder of NoSo and digital literacy advocate, join Amanda Grant, a producer who interviewed Toronto parents. They explore parents delaying smartphones, using landlines or flip phones, balancing strict limits and teen independence, and debates over platform fixes and digital literacy.
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Family Uses Landline To Replace A Smartphone
- Maggie and her daughter Aisling use a home landline for planning and calls instead of a smartphone.
- Aisling, grade seven, says landline calls feel fine and she prefers them to friends who watch videos mid-call on phones.
Parent Holds Off Phones Then Chooses A Limited Device
- Lindsay kept strict no-smartphone rules early on and gave kids a landline and school laptop instead.
- Her eldest felt left out socially and eventually got a limited Pinwheel phone at end of grade nine with parental controls.
Delaying Phones Builds Communication Skills
- Delaying smartphones can force families to build trust, independence, and alternate communication habits.
- Parents reported teaching planning skills and using school laptops or physical workarounds like student cards to adapt.