Op-Ed: Retirees These Days Can't Put Down Their Phones

Retirement, the Yoders have discovered, comes with an unexpected time thief in their pockets. In the Wall Street Journal's "Retirement Rookies" column, former editor Stephen Kreider Yoder and his wife, Karen Kreider Yoder, describe how their post-work freedom has been quietly swallowed by the endless scroll of their smartphones, or what Karen calls "the black hole in my pocket."

Stephen confesses that what starts as a practical YouTube search—say, how to fix a vacuum—regularly dissolves into hours of short clips and a late-night jolt of regret. Without bosses or deadlines, he argues, retirees are especially exposed: lots of free time, no one to say "put the phone down." Karen details her own rituals, from morning Wordle with her sisters to Facebook and Instagram "just for a bit," until she looks up and an hour is gone, or Stephen wakes up and she hides the phone "as if it's a secret bottle of gin." A psychologist's advice nudges them toward systems, not sheer willpower: charging the phone in another room, replacing scrolling with sewing, puzzles, or long tandem-bike rides. For their candid, closely observed look at retirement's quiet addiction, read the full piece in the Journal.