Image By Joshua Hoehne, from Unsplash
Nostalgia Tech: TikTok Is Bringing Back the BlackBerry
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
In a twist of tech nostalgia, Gen Z is bringing back the BlackBerry.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Gen Z is reviving BlackBerry phones as a form of digital detox.
- TikTok videos romanticize “nostalgia tech” and physical keyboards.
- Users crave simpler phones to reduce stress and screen time.
The BlackBerry has experienced a revival among young adults who seek a digital detox from their connected lives.
“I just feel like the time of the BlackBerry phone was very nostalgic,” said Victoria Zannino, 25, in an interview with The New York Times . She posted a viral TikTok plea to express her sentiment:
Young TikTok users showcase their BlackBerry “dumbphones” by decorating them with rhinestones as part of the current Y2K aesthetic trend.
The writer Dan Kassim believes that this it’s more than retro fashion. “People are kind of burned out from the notifications and being always on,” he said to The Times. “BlackBerrys and early smartphones feel like a bit of a throwback to when phones were tools, but not, like, the center of your life,” he added.
“It’s interesting that it’s happening on TikTok, because I feel like TikTok is the most addictive form of social media,” Kassim noted
The Guardian reports that a four-year study tracking more than 4,000 adolescents found that nearly one in three showed signs of increasingly addictive use of social media or mobile phones, a pattern that may be linked to serious mental health issues, including a higher risk of suicidal behavior.
According to The New York Post , a 2024 Pew Research Center study found that nearly half of teenagers now report being online “almost constantly,” a sharp increase from 24% a decade ago.
While most Gen Zers were too young to use BlackBerrys during their heyday, they see the devices as a symbol of freedom. The devices serve as a means for people to break free from notification stress, social media pressure, and digital information overload
“The smartphone is not a source of enjoyment anymore,” said tech columnist Pascal Forget to CBC News . “They want to go back to simpler times using a simpler device,” Forget added.
The Times noted that BlackBerry discontinued its device support in 2022, while its 5G reboot attempt failed, so a modern relaunch seems impossible, however this hasn’t stopped young tiktokers to hunt them down on ebay.
Image By Sean Bernstein, from Unsplash
Mattel and OpenAI Face Backlash Over AI Toys
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Consumer advocates are warning of the risks posed by the new partnership between Mattel and OpenAI to create AI-powered toys .
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Mattel and OpenAI plan to launch AI-powered toys by 2026.
- Consumer advocates warn of potential harm to children’s development.
- Toys may process kids’ voice data and behavioral patterns.
Public Citizen co-President Robert Weissman demands Mattel more transparency, and to reveal the details about their upcoming product.
“Endowing toys with human-seeming voices that are able to engage in human-like conversations risks inflicting real damage on children,” Weissman said, as first reported by Ars Technica .
He fears these toys could harm social development, interfere with real-life friendships, and cause long-term psychological harm. “Mattel should not leverage its trust with parents to conduct a reckless social experiment on our children by selling toys that incorporate AI,” Weissman added.
The first product from the partnership will not target children under 13, according to an anonymous Axios source, which Ars Technica suggests is likely due to OpenAI’s age restrictions. Critics argue that the age restriction does not provide sufficient protection.
OpenAI declined to comment, while Mattel has yet to respond to Ars Technica’s inquiry. The first product from the partnership will be announced this year and released in 2026, according to Mattel’s press release , which states that the collaboration will support AI-powered products and experiences, based on Mattel’s brands.
However, critics like tech executive Varundeep Kaur and digital safety expert Adam Dodge warn that AI toys may expose children to privacy breaches, biased content, or confusing chatbot replies. Kaur also flagged the danger of AI hallucinations, saying these toys could give “inappropriate or bizarre responses” that are unsettling for kids.
Ars Technica reports that critics such as Varundeep Kaur and Adam Dodge, who are a tech executive and digital safety expert respectively, express concerns that AI toys could lead to privacy violations, biased content delivery, and confusing chatbot responses.
Kaur highlighted the risk of AI hallucinations, which could cause toys to generate disturbing or strange responses that might unsettle kids. He also added that further risks may be linked to the toys recording “voice data, behavioral patterns, and personal preferences.”
Ars Technica reports that Dodge added, “unpredictable, sycophantic, and addictive ,” and warned of worst-case scenarios, like toys promoting self-harm . Both experts called for strict parental controls, transparency, and independent audits before any launch.
Indeed, researchers from MIT have issued a separate but related warning about the addictive nature of AI companions .
Mattel has faced similar backlash before. In 2015, the company released “Hello Barbie,” a Wi-Fi-connected doll that listened to kids and responded using cloud-based AI, as reported by Forbes .
Critics at the time, including cybersecurity expert Joseph Steinberg, warned that the toy posed a massive privacy threat. Hello Barbie recorded and uploaded children’s conversations to a server operated by a third party, ToyTalk, which shared the data with vendors to improve AI systems.
Steinberg pointed out that children often confide deeply personal thoughts to their dolls—sometimes discussing fears, family issues, or school problems. “Would you want recordings of their intimate childhood conversations to persist in the hands of unknown parties?” he asked, as reported by Forbes.
Privacy experts argue that unless companies offer plain-language warnings on packaging, many parents will unknowingly expose their children’s private lives to corporations under the guise of convenience and entertainment.
