Ban on screens for children under 3 years old; ban on all cell phones before the age of 11; Internet access only from 13 years old; to “ethical” social networks at 15 years old… The expert report submitted on April 30 to the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, is severe in its recommendations. These aim to limit the screen time of young people. But will they be followed by effects? And how ? In the meantime, Maïlys Cantzler, mother of two boys aged 11 and 16, and entrepreneur, is taking the bull by the horns. His solution? The Phone, a mobile developed by the family which will be sold for 100 euros from July. And that should solve a lot of problems.
A Canada Dry smartphone
She created the Attitude nursery network twenty years ago; then shared accommodation for elderly people with disabilities (Le Club des Six). She also campaigns to guide children towards reading… And plans to go further.
Maïlys Cantzler, 48 years old, is today tackling another very contemporary problem. That of the time spent by young people on smartphones. “When I stumbled like many parents on this big subject and what it implies, I decided with my sons Viktor and Marius that we should not just note the problems, but put on the market a solution to remedy this. »
Their idea? The Phone, a Canada Dry terminal that looks like a smartphone, but is not a smartphone.
Don’t be ashamed at school
“With The Phone, we are recreating the segment of unconnected phones represented only by touch-tone phones. But by adding aesthetics and a touch screen so that they are not denigrated by children,” explains 20 minutes Maïlys Cantzler. Or a mobile terminal that looks like a smartphone, but which can only be used for calling, sending and receiving SMS!
“The touch screen corresponds to the codes and will allow us not to be ashamed in schoolyards! », deciphers the mother who knows her subject well. And who knows where she wants to go. “I don’t have a philosophy, but up to the age of 12, the content that smartphones have access to is not good, and even dramatic for children! Either we complain or we react. I react ! », exclaims the entrepreneur.
A 5.5 inch screen despite everything…
Launched in pre-order at the beginning of May after 15 months of development, The Phone will be marketed in July for 100 euros. It is a terminal with a 5.5-inch LCD screen (480 x 960 pixels), with headphones provided and a 2,500 mAh battery. 2,500 mAh for a simple phone… that bodes well for long days without having to recharge your device!
Having its own operating system, The Phone offers a menu in the form of petals. And remains minimalist in its proposals: Parameters (font size, choice of language among three offered, choice of wallpaper color, and ringtones); Directory; Calls; Messages. And that’s it!
No possibility of listening to music and even less of taking photos. And, obviously, no access to social networks. “On this first model, we remain more purist than minimalist, to focus on communication,” insists Maïlys Cantzler. The Phone remains a 3G phone, that’s all. And its creator and her son believe in it.
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Parents at the end of the line
“It is enough to reinstall a new social norm so that it takes over the old one. Like when we were told to stop smoking on trains, or, in the past, to stop drinking wine at school when we were children! We are counting on this same movement of parents who have reached the end, of this capacity for acceptance and social pressure which has been imposed on them with smartphones,” explains the creator of The Phone. Which will start testing its phone with 160 active beta testers, children, parents, doctors, teachers… throughout France. History of collecting their usage feedback and “working on reasoned solutions”.
Urgent to act
Please note, the marketing of The Phone will only take place on the site of its manufacturer. Impossible, according to Maïlys Cantzler, to “squeeze a margin for a distributor” with a device sold at this price. With her son Viktor, she also wanted to have her phone manufactured in France. “We would have needed two more years and two million euros. So, go for the two million, but not for the two years. It’s too long, it’s urgent to act,” explains the entrepreneur.
The first The Phone will therefore be produced in Asia, but with a protective shell made in France. Depending on sales volumes, production can then be completely repatriated to France.
Until then, Maïlys Cantzler and her sons would like to raise awareness among personalities, such as Zinédine Zidane or Thomas Pesquet, so that they can autograph the cases of The Phone and allow future owners of the phone to really stand out. Goal: to make smartphone owners out of date in the playground…