SPC, the Spanish consumer electronics brand, has partnered with Jorge Flores, founder of Pantallas Amigas and an expert in healthy technology use, to analyze the relationship of young Spaniards with technology and the challenges of developing healthy connections with it.
The brand has conducted the research ‘SPCial Generation Study on the digital disconnection habits of young Spaniards,’ which reveals that the trend of returning to dumbphones has reached Spain and is becoming popular, becoming an option for 12.2% of young people.
The company has announced SPC WILD, a mobile phone without internet access that responds to the growing demand for products that allow some distance from hyperconnectivity. This device will be available throughout this summer.
In a hyperconnected world, where constant presence on social media and information overload have become the norm, a movement around digital disconnection is gaining ground and creating a trend especially among young Spaniards. Aware of this new movement, the Spanish consumer electronics brand SPC has presented the results of the ‘SPCial Generation Study on the digital disconnection habits of young Spaniards’ at an event attended by Jorge Flores, founder of Pantallas Amigas and an expert in the safe and healthy use of technology, with whom the Spanish company has collaborated to analyze this reality and understand the people who identify with this new way of relating to technology.
One of the main revelations of the study is that more than half of young Spaniards have considered deleting their social profiles and 12.7% have permanently left social media in search of a more balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Irene Manterola, Marketing Director of SPC, commented: “As a technology company, we feel responsible for promoting safe, healthy, and responsible use of technology. We are delighted to collaborate with Jorge Flores from Pantallas Amigas to highlight the challenges for a more balanced digital connection.” She added: “The research we have conducted has allowed us to delve into a movement that had not been analyzed in detail until now, revealing how more and more young people are joining the digital detox trend. After getting to know this group more closely, we believe the best way to refer to them is SPCial Generation, as they are a particularly young group who, despite the hyperconnectivity they are exposed to, are rethinking their relationship with technology in their daily lives.”
The SPCial Generation: they spend five hours daily on the smartphone and more than three-quarters have considered reducing their screen time
The ‘SPCial Generation Study on the digital disconnection habits of young Spaniards’ by SPC, conducted among 1,000 Spaniards aged 18 to 35, concludes that in our country the average daily smartphone use is around five hours, whether to check social media profiles, connect with loved ones through instant messaging, calls, and video calls, or as a work tool. Given this situation, 75.5% of Spaniards have seriously committed to using their phones less and 14.3% have managed to maintain this habit permanently.
Currently, social media is part of the daily life of a large part of the population, and it is hard to remember life without an Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook account. These platforms allow us to connect with people, but excessive use is leading young Spaniards to consider disconnecting from screens. In fact, 56.5% of respondents have considered doing a digital detox and six out of ten know someone who has joined this trend. The most common reasons for considering or doing a detox include reducing screen time, improving quality of life, and mental health. Among those who have done a digital detox, 12.6% did it to connect with the offline world and create real connections with people.
Regarding the preferred options for a healthier relationship with screens, 38% of Spaniards would choose to uninstall social media apps and 37% would prefer to control usage time through the options provided by the smartphones themselves, although currently only 27.9% say they check this data on their mobile devices.
Dumbphones as a rising digital detox trend in Spain: 12.2% of young Spaniards are returning to these devices
Worldwide, there is a movement back to dumbphones or basic phones, devices with a simpler user experience that allow connection through calls and messages. The ‘SPCial Generation Study on the digital disconnection habits of young Spaniards’ by SPC has confirmed that in our country this option is growing, as 12.2% of the population has chosen to replace their smartphone with a phone without internet and 19.5% know someone who has done so.
Jorge Flores, founder of Pantallas Amigas and expert in healthy technology use, shared his view on these devices: "Dumbphones represent an interesting option because they allow people to choose when they want to be connected. For those who have grown up in a digital and hyperconnected world, these devices offer a new and valuable experience, while for adults it is an opportunity to regain disconnection and be a positive example for children."
These devices are gaining popularity as tools to achieve digital balance, as they make it easier to do a detox by restoring digital balance and encouraging a life focused on what matters. By not having internet access, they limit distractions and interruptions to what is truly urgent, are easy to use, and promote alternatives for socializing and entertainment that do not depend on the internet. In the words of Jorge Flores: “A dumbphone positions itself as a perfect tool to learn to select moments of disconnection so that they truly are, allowing younger generations to discover the experience of living with fewer digital commitments and distractions, taking greater control of their time and life.”
SPC WILD: a phone for everything important
In line with the growing global trend, SPC has announced SPC WILD to meet the new needs of this SPCial generation. This phone, arriving this summer, is ideal for those who want a break from smartphones during vacations and also for minors beginning to gain independence. It features a retro clamshell design without internet access and includes the popular 2000s game Snake.
“For more than three decades, we have continuously worked to stay up to date with consumers’ changing needs as a way to create innovative and accessible solutions for everyone. SPC WILD will join our broad technology catalog as a real option for those who want to relive the disconnection before social media, but also for children who are starting to have more autonomy and, therefore, begin to interact with technology,” concluded Manterola.
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