Would you be able to swap your smartphone for a so-called ‘dumb phone’ – with access to only calls and texts?

In the Daily Mail, journalist Marion McGilvary wrote about her experience switching out her iPhone for a standard phone and the challenges that came with it.

On Lunchtime Live, Ms McGilvary said she gained “at least two hours on a good day” from ditching the apps.

“I was an addict, completely an addict,” she said.

“I mean to Instagram in particular, I just would sit there scrolling and scrolling and scrolling and scrolling - it was crazy.”

Ms McGilvary said she had lost her creativity from spending too much time on her phone.

“I used to think I was a creative person; you know, I do ceramics, I write a bit, and I draw, you know, and suddenly I wasn't doing any of those things,” she said.

“I would just sit there on my phone and I thought, ‘This is crazy, my brain is just rotting’.

“While I've still got it, at my age, I'd like to get to hold on to the few brain cells I've got left.

“So, I thought I have to do something about this.”

"It didn't last very long"

Ms McGilvary said the whole experiment didn’t last very long as she didn’t realise how much you rely on your smartphone for things like maps and online cards.

“I have to say that it didn't last very long, [it] actually lasted two weeks,” she said.

“I had to go back because I got lost one day, I couldn't find my way, couldn't pay for anything, because I've lost my debit card somewhere in the house, but I don't need it because I have Apple Pay.

“I found I went to the supermarket one day and I'm standing there with a bag thinking, ‘Oh, bloody hell, I can't pay for this’.”

"It's so hard"

Ms McGilvary said she found it lonely not having social media at her fingertips.

“You know, because I am retired and I'm a very big home body, I like to be at home… so, for me, keeping in touch with my family in Scotland, because I don't live there now, is [through] Facebook,” she said.

“It's basically like Facebook is like our family WhatsApp, you know, we're all on it.

“I've taken [social media] off my phone, and God, it's hard… it's so hard.”

Ms McGilvary said she has kept social media on her iPad but keeps the iPad by the side of her bed, so she only uses it when she gets into bed in the evening.

Listen back here:

Group of friends using mobile smartphone outdoor. Image: Alamy