Participation in society shouldn’t require a smartphone — America needs offline accessibility

As businesses and governments digitize access to essential services, they quietly bind our participation in daily life to screens, undermining equality and autonomy. Just look at the parking meter that only accepts payment through an app, the concert that requires an e-ticket, or the discount that requires scanning a QR code. 

Smartphone ownership and constant connectivity are now assumed. Apps, mobile wallets and digital IDs — often available only through smartphones or smartwatches — are increasingly required to access public services. 

This digital barrier excludes the 9 percent of Americans — about 30 million people — who do not own a smartphone, as well as many others who cannot reliably use one or choose not to. 

As a nation, we agree that equal access matters. The Americans with Disabilities Act, for example, recognizes that people should not be denied access to services or education because of physical limitations. App-only systems undermine that principle, excluding those unable to use smartphones due to visual or cognitive impairments, those who cannot afford devices or data plans, and anyone whose device is simply unavailable.

They also gatekeep access to basics like food. Many grocery stores now offer app-only discounts — a can of soup costs $2.50 with the app, for example, but $3.50 without it. Offline alternatives, such as physical discount cards or coupons, should be required by law. 

Services that require apps also penalize people who intentionally step back from constant connectivity for health or personal reasons. Surveys find that roughly half of Americans feel addicted to smartphone use — not to the device itself, but to the unlimited access it provides to addictive content like social media, shopping, sexual content and gambling. 

Even children are assumed to be constantly connected. Assignments, communication and extracurricular activities are through apps, putting parents who limit screen time in an impossible position. Without a smartphone, they are left out. 

More broadly, we are giving up our self-sufficiency. As we outsource daily life to apps we don’t control, we lose the ability to navigate the world without a screen in our hands. We become dependent on smartphones to function — and when service outages occur, that can mean no transit, no payments, no access to essentials.  

Without legislation, carrying a connected smart device at all times becomes a requirement, not a choice. The issue isn’t the device itself, but the infrastructure that increasingly conditions access on device ownership and constant connectivity. 

The policy solution is simple: Any public-facing service, whether public or private in origin, should be required by law to offer an app-free way to participate, such as in-person service, phone support, paper forms, cash or cards, or a website accessible from a home computer or public library. The point isn’t to ban apps or resist technology; it’s to preserve equal access and personal choice. 

Cities and states need not wait for Congress; they can review public services — including transportation, utilities, schools, parking, health care and public events — to ensure app-free alternatives exist. Citizens can raise equal access concerns with schools, employers and public institutions. In many cases, exclusion isn’t intentional; it simply hasn’t been considered. 

Businesses will require oversight. Their moves to app-only services cut staffing and operating costs, boosting profits — without legislation, there is little incentive to retain human-based service. Some companies still do. Uber, for example, allows riders to book trips through a toll-free number in the United States. 

At some point, this will become personal for all of us. A phone is forgotten, broken or out of data, or it’s intentionally set aside to be more present. We can accept a world where participation requires constant connectivity, or we can protect our freedom of choice. 

Without that, every attempt to step away from the screen becomes harder — until it is no longer possible at all. 

Owen Haacke is a writer and advocate based in Billings, Mont., with a background in international business and policy. He is the founder of Offline Friendly, a public-interest initiative promoting access to essential services without requiring a smartphone.  

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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