Young people turn to phone-free events to escape the digital world.

(CLO) More than 2,000 young people in London have joined The Offline Club in just a few months, with the aim of escaping their phone screens in a context where technology dominates daily life.

Lois Shafier excitedly dropped her phone into the drop box, ready to enjoy two hours of complete internet freedom at The Offline Club event.

“I’m really addicted to my phone,” she admitted. Tickets for the “digital detox” sessions quickly sold out, attracting hundreds of people aged 20 to 35 looking to break free from their dependence on technology.

Illustration: Unsplash

For a fee of £9.50, participants get the chance to connect face-to-face rather than communicating via screen. "We're a tech generation, but we're so tired of it," said Bianca Bolum, 25.

According to Ofcom, Britons aged 25 to 34 spend an average of more than four hours a day online, but this figure can be more than double for some like Liliann Delacruz, 22.

At a London church, attendees enjoyed board games, crafts and live chats. Harry Stead, 25, described leaving his phone at the door as a “liberation.” But many turned their phones back on after the event ended, checking notifications.

Ironically, most of the club’s members learned about it through social media. Founder Ben Hounsell, 23, isn’t anti-technology, but rather encourages people to take a break from it for a while to feel the change.

Since launching in late October, The Offline Club has had more than 2,000 attendees, quickly expanding to Paris, Barcelona and Dubai. Ilya Kneppelhout, founder of the Amsterdam branch, stressed that loneliness and mental health are becoming big issues, driving the need for real connections.

The trend has also spread to social media, with influencers like Léna Mahfouf announcing a month-long online hiatus, and Venetia La Manna doing #offline48 every weekend. They say cutting back on phone time has helped them sleep better, boost creativity, and connect better with their communities.

Anna Cox, professor at University College London, warns that the problem is not just the impact on mental health but also the loss of important real-life moments.

She suggests measures like turning off notifications and switching your phone screen to black and white mode to reduce the device's appeal. "We need to learn to control technology, instead of letting it control us," she concludes.

Ngoc Anh (according to AFP, SCMP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nguoi-tre-tim-den-su-kien-khong-dien-thoai-de-thoat-khoi-the-gioi-so-post335529.html