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Missouri smartphone ban policies are pushing some parents to take a surprising step: installing landlines in their homes. For Christina Ryan, the idea came after reading Jonathan Haidt’s bestseller The Anxious Generation, which argues that smartphones are reshaping childhood and fueling a mental health crisis. With her children, ages 10 and 7, enrolled at Lafayette Prep Academy—where some classmates were already getting smartphones—Ryan wanted a screen-free alternative.
“Our family is committed to not getting cell phones for our kids before eighth or ninth grade, but we wanted a way to give them independence and a way to connect with friends and family without using screens,” Ryan explains. Her solution: a traditional home phone, just like she had growing up.
Across the U.S., parents are wrestling with the same challenge: how to delay access to devices that even adults find addictive. Advocacy groups like Let Grow are encouraging families to consider reintroducing landlines. These phones give children the ability to arrange playdates, practice phone etiquette, and stay in touch, without the distractions of apps or social media.
This shift comes as Missouri’s new law bans smartphones in public schools statewide. The rule prohibits use from the first bell to the last, including lunch and passing periods. Governor Mike Kehoe, who signed the law, has stated, “It’s simple—cell phones have no place in Missouri classrooms.”
The Normandy Schools Collaborative was an early adopter, implementing its own ban in January and confiscating 300 phones on the first day. Board president Harlan Hodge acknowledged the pushback, saying, “These are drastic measures because these are drastic times.”
Still, the ban only affects school hours. After-hours, parents are creating their own solutions. Some opt for a shared family smartphone with no privacy, while others embrace the simplicity of a landline. Beyond practicality, many parents believe it helps children develop communication skills they might otherwise miss in a text-driven world.
Statistics show how rare this choice has become. According to Census data, only 32% of Missouri households had a landline in 2018—down from 77% in 1969. But for parents like Ryan, that’s not a deterrent. Some use VoIP services like Ooma, while others choose kid-friendly options like Tin Can, which allows only approved contacts and offers “do-not-disturb” hours. Nostalgia plays a role, too—Tin Can’s “Flashback” model looks just like an ’80s kitchen wall phone.
The landline movement also has a community-building effect. Ryan’s 10-year-old son was thrilled when a friend in Soulard got a home phone, enabling direct calls without going through parents. “It gives him more agency,” Ryan says. “When my kids feel trusted, a lot of behavior issues disappear.”
For Hayley Bradley, whose family recently installed a line, safety was the main concern. They wanted their kids to be able to call 911 in an emergency. After weighing options like dumbphones and Apple Watches, a landline seemed best. Teaching phone etiquette has been a learning curve—her children were used to video calls and had never answered a ringing phone. “We’re trying to teach them that you can’t just breathe into the phone,” she laughs.
Interest is growing. Bradley says some of her friends are now considering landlines, inspired by the benefits for both safety and independence.
Another parent, Linnea Bruce, recently set up an Ooma line for her three children at St. Margaret of Scotland school, also motivated by The Anxious Generation. Her third-grade son Charles has been eagerly calling friends—sometimes the same ones repeatedly while many are on vacation.
Whether or not this trend will make a measurable dent in declining landline use, these families are proving that in the smartphone era, old-fashioned solutions can still have a place.
Content for this summary was derived from original reporting by St. Louis Magazine
