For 14-year-old Ben Cohen-Vigder, accidentally losing his smartphone on the school bus last February turned out to be something more.

“I went two days without my phone and realized how long and full my days had become,” Ben said.

Things were so much better that the eighth-grade lacrosse goalie made the radical choice of buying a flip phone, which allowed him to communicate without all the smart features and distractions.

A growing number of experts are sounding the alarm about the rise in screen time and its impact on children and teens. In a 2023 consultation on social media use and mental health, former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy recommended creating "Technology-free zone" and encourages children to “cultivate face-to-face friendships.” at the same time, several states Measures taken No use of mobile phones At school.

Swap your smartphone for a flip phone

Ben said he used to average up to five hours of screen time a day. When he switched to a flip phone, the time dropped to about 30 minutes. So CBS News asked four of Ben's friends, Carson, Lanita, Jamison and Maya -- all eighth-graders in New Jersey -- to try flip phones for a week. Maya said her average screen time exceeded 10 hours at the beginning of this week, mostly spent watching TV and TikTok.

They were curious but skeptical about the experiment. Jamieson said he wasn't doing as well as he wanted in school and thought his cell phone use may have been "a big factor in that". Although Ranita plays three sports, she admits to wasting time on her phone, watching 30 minutes scroll into an hour without noticing. Carson agreed to participate, but the avid basketball player was nervous. Maya enjoys learning English and has just started rowing, and she hopes the trial will help her sleep better at night.

When CBS News sat down with these teens, took away their iPhones and iPads, and gave them flip phones, their reactions were laughter, trembling and confusion. They spent time gathered around the kitchen table, and Ben taught them how to use these foreign devices, including learning how to text without a "modern" keyboard.

They left with instructions to try to maintain a spirit of experimentation and not use a friend's or parent's phone as a crutch — and, of course, the promise of getting their smart devices back within a week.

Carson was unsuccessful and gave the phone 24 hours to return, saying he sat there staring at the wall until basketball practice after school. Others persevered, sending mostly positive comments in video diaries shot on their parents' cellphones throughout the experiment.

“I’m sleeping much better and I feel less tired during the day,” Maya said.

Jamison said this helps him complete assignments faster. Ranita reported that she was frustrated by not having a digital wallet and felt that other conveniences of her phone were missing.

Screen time linked to anxiety and depression in teens

Experts' concerns Increase screen time Not unfounded. Between July 2021 and December 2023, half of U.S. teens ages 12 to 18 had four or more hours of screen time per day. Nearly 23% of people have 3 hours of screen time per day, 17.8% have 2 hours of screen time per day, and 6.1% have 1 hour of screen time. According to a report from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, only 3 percent have less than an hour.

The report found that teens who spend more than four hours a day looking at screens are more likely to experience anxiety and depression.

Life beyond the screen

After 7 days, the experiment ended. Teenagers noticed a difference—and so did their parents.

"I'm talking to my parents more and going out with my friends more," Jamison said.

Jamison's mother, Amy Rita, said that when her son returned to his smartphone, he received hundreds of group chat messages, "but he dismissed it all as nonsense and didn't feel like he was missing out."

Maya said she learned the importance of life beyond the screen. Her mother, Lani Padilla, hopes the experience will help them move forward in a different way.

“I hope it plants a seed for her to think more critically about how she uses her smartphone — and I do too,” Padilla said.

Next month will be a full year of Ben and his flip phone. His friends may not join him full-time, but he believes it's never too late to make a change — and it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

"It's not necessarily something as radical as getting rid of all social media. I have an Instagram account that I'll use on my computer, but it's more about doing little things that you can group together There is an ongoing need to come together to address this issue,” Ben said.

Ben's mother, Jenn Cohen-Vigder, hopes more parents will take notice.

"I think if people actually listened to what kids are saying and looked closely, it might lead to people re-evaluating how kids use their phones. It's something people should care about," she said.