In a world, it's practically impossible to keep our smartphones down for hardly a minute, a group of students ditched their phones for a year.

A group of undergraduate students at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio have completed a pilot run of the school's "Unplugged Scholarship" program.

Thirty students received a $5,000 scholarship for giving up their smartphones, while a total of 80 undergraduates participated in the program, which involved monthly meetings to support one another and share experiences.

“It had way more of an effect on me than I thought it would,” Grace Pollock, a sophomore nursing major at the private university in Steubenville, Ohio, told CNA May 3.

Pollock has seen an improvement in her focus and productivity and spent more time doing outside activities and reading since joining the school’s “Unplugged Scholarship,” which began its pilot run in the fall semester of 2022.

As Franciscan University of Steubenville students wrap up their spring semester, a large group of its undergraduates will be heading into summer significantly changed after participating in the school’s invitation to drop their smartphones.

Students are allowed to reapply for the scholarship even if they were selected the prior year.

The initiative was started by Franciscan University alumni Justin and Hope Schneir, both from the class of ‘99, in addition to a small group of other alumni.

The scholarship is intended to help the students gain independence from their smartphones and is part of a larger initiative launched by The Humanality Foundation, which “was created for the sole purpose of helping humans engage with reality by gaining control of their digital universe,” Justin Schneir told the National Catholic Register in November.

“We value a life lived fully, a life connected to meaningful engagement with self, other, and God,” he said.

Becoming more ‘present’
Pollock as well as 21-year-old junior Paul Merkel and 18-year-old freshman Theresa Ryan all said that giving up their smartphones helped them to become more “present.”

“I could just sit down to pray and it was so much easier to be present,” Ryan said.

She still finds it difficult to pray sometimes, but dropping the smartphone took away “a big obstacle” so she could “be present to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”

Pollock said that prior to giving up her smartphone, she would often look down at the device while waiting in line, but not anymore.

Instead, she’ll strike up a conversation with the person next to her.

“I think it’s a great way to actually see the people in front of you rather than looking at your screen when you’re uncomfortable in a situation,” she said.

Pollock said that she notices how the phone takes people’s attention while they are in conversation with others.

“There’s constantly notifications going off, so whenever I’m talking to someone, they’re constantly picking up their phone, looking at it and putting it down,” she said.

That can be “slightly frustrating,” said Pollock, but she has found ways to ignore it or address it.

Alternatives to smartphones
Ryan, who is set to receive the scholarship funds next year but is participating in the program along with 50 other students who did not receive the funds, uses a Light Phone, which is marketed as “technology intentionally designed to be used as little as possible,” according to its website.

There are several different options for people looking to drop their smartphones and switch to what is commonly called a “dumbphone.”

CNBC reported in March that the sale of flip phones was on the rise in the U.S. for one major flip phone distributor, HMD Global, which makes Nokia phones.

Merkel uses a flip phone.

“Almost immediately I noticed that my mind was a lot clearer after a week of not having a smartphone,” he said.
-CNA