A mum says she cured her smartphone addiction and burnout by switching to a "burner phone" - a Nokia brick."

Janine Kay, 55, was previously scrolling for hours a day on Pinterest and news apps.

She quit social media 13 years ago after it left her feeling "insecure" and she found herself comparing herself to her partner's ex-girlfriends when they were first dating."

The mum-of-two found her iPhone was "all composing and despairing" and she didn't feel it was "serving her a purpose"."

She felt it was "taking control" of her and decided to ditch it once and for all - opting instead for a Nokia 3310 in dark blue - which can text, call, has the classic Snake game and a week-long battery life."

Now smartphone-free for eight years she feels "liberated" and has no fears of missing out."

And like the Princess of Wales who warned smartphone and screens were creating a "epidemic of disconnection", Janine is concerned about the dangers of the devices on our mental health."

Janine, a volunteer for several charities including Samaritans, from Timperley, Cheshire, said: "I was drawn in."

"Looking back I had an addiction."

"I ditched my smartphone and got a burner phone."

"It's so cute. It looks like those old school ones."

"It's got a dead good battery."

Janine had just been through a divorce when she met her now partner, 53.

The pair met on a night out before talking on Facebook.

She said: "I was quite insecure."

"I was using Facebook when I'd just met my partner. It did not do me any favours."

"I could see all his previous partners."

"I was so drawn to it."

"I couldn't bare it - they are all really happy and I'm not."

"I thought 'are you just pretending?'."

Janine quickly took control and came off Facebook in 2012.

She deleted social media apps but she kept her smartphone and would initially use it to read the news and scroll on Pinterest.

Janine said: "I felt myself going on my smartphone willy-nilly."

"I didn't like myself getting sucked in."

"I was spending about two hours a day on it."

"Pinterest - that was sucking me in."

"I felt addicted."

And in 2017 Janine decided to get rid of it once and for all.

She said: "One day it clicked. It felt like it was taking control of me."

"It was making me cross with myself."

"It made me feel rubbish."

"I thought I've got to get rid of it for me."

Janine said many people "laughed" and "sniggered" at her for making the choice but since ditching her smartphone she's never been "happier"."

Her children - Annie, 25, and Rob, 27 - and partner, an operations manager, are supportive.

She said: "I'm doing it for my mental health."

"I think I'm quite unique."

"I've started to feel very liberated."

Janine does have an iPad at home but she keeps it strictly in the house and only uses it occasionally for YouTube, Google and to read the news.

She said: "I feel very content with my life - I'm so happy."

"I'm the happiest I have ever been."

"I have joy of missing out."

Ofcom research from last year found adults spend an average of four hours 20 minutes a day online - up by 40 minutes on 2023.

Janine said: "When you're not drawn to your phone, not sucked in, you carve out more time for yourself."

"I do yoga, I play the piano."

"In a queue at a coffee shop I have my head up smiling."

"I'll look back in the queue and everyone has their head stick in their phone - no one is smiling or engaged."

"People don't want to admit they were addicted to one."