As the anti-smartphone movement begins to snowball among schools and parents alike, some families are going fully retro by getting landlines again so their kids can keep in touch.

What’s a landline?

For those who are too young to remember, landlines are phones that aren’t mobile. Instead, they’re connected to the phone system by wires (nowadays most landlines work using WiFi).

For years, landlines were delivered through an analogue network however this is being phased out and replaced with digital technology – also called ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’ (VoIP). Nowadays you can package a landline deal in with your broadband, which might save you some money, too.

With landline phones, typically you have a handset with number buttons, so you can call someone else’s phone – and that’s about it.

There are no games, there’s no social media, messaging, emojis or the ability to take pictures or videos. It’s a very basic way to communicate – and some parents, many of whom grew up with landlines at home themselves, are opting in.

Why are parents bringing back landlines?

I don’t know many families with a static home phone – and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Mobiles have reigned supreme for years.

But in some households, especially in the US, landlines are cropping up on hallway tables and kitchen counters once more.

Caron Morse, who is based in Portland, Maine, refused to give her child a smartphone when she asked for one. Instead, she got a landline.

There are a handful of benefits to these devices – the main one being,........

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