24% annual jump in sales of basic phones recorded by buy now pay later provider

Sales of basic mobile phones which help people to digitally “detox” have jumped over the past year, according to a buy now pay later provider.

Clearpay said it recorded a 24% increase in the volume of “dumbphone” sales in the 12 months to June 12 2026, compared with the 12 months to June 12 2025.

Basic phones often lack features such as cameras and apps.

A survey for Clearpay also indicated that nearly two-thirds (62%) of parents whose child already has a smartphone have considered technology to limit their child’s access to social media and the internet.

Some 2,000 UK parents with children aged 11 to 17 were surveyed in August.

Rich Bayer, chief executive at Clearpay, said of its UK sales figures: “Our sales data indicates a shift in how families are thinking about online access on mobile phones.”

For many parents though, the reasons for giving their child a phone were practical, with 68% saying it allows them to keep in touch when they are apart.

Parents were also looking to curb their own screen time, with more than a third (37%) considering technology to limit their access to social media and the internet.

Three-fifths (60%) of parents were supportive of a social media ban for under-16s, the research indicated.

Earlier in September, Prime Minister Andy Burnham vowed that there will be “no watering down” of the planned social media ban for under-16s, and said he will “lead from the front” on the issue.