Young adults flock to London 'offline' nights

Lois Shafier dropped her mobile phone into a deposit box, happy in the knowledge that for the next two hours she would be completely offline. No pings, beeps or distractions.

"I'm bad at switching off. I have a proper addiction to my phone," she said, as she headed into an evening out organised by the Offline Club in London.

Tickets were snatched up when they went on sale for the two-hour "digital detox" night, with more than 150 young adults aged mostly between 20 and 35 eager to ditch their screens to meet up in real life.

They each paid £9.50 (R225) for the chance to switch off their phones and make in-person human connections.

"We are the technology generation, but we're tired of it. We want to reconnect with the real world," said Bianca Bolum.

The 25-year-old jeweller had come on her own and was hoping to meet new people.

According to the UK's telecoms regulator Ofcom, young Brits aged between 25 and 34 spend an average of four hours and three minutes a day glued to their smartphones.

But Liliann Delacruz, 22, said she spent about 10 hours a day texting with her family and friends, surfing the net and checking her socials. The evening was a chance to "get outside my bubble".

Scattered around the room in a London church were tables stacked with board games, as an excited hum echoed around the walls.

Engineer Harry Stead, 25, said he found leaving his phone at the door "freeing". "I don't realise the addiction and then too often I feel the urge to look at my phone and scroll," he said, adding he suffered from "FOMO" ("Fear of missing out").

Shafier, 35, had come with a friend and they sat chatting together as they sewed.

If she had been at home, her phone would have been next to her. "I hate using my phone so much. I'm angry at myself," she said.

As soon as the evening was over though, she switched her phone back on, scanning her screen.

Ironically the participants found out about the club via social media, often Instagram posts.

Organiser Ben Hounsell, 23, said he was not against technology or calling for everyone to get rid of their phones. "A lot of people are realising that just getting away from your phone for a few hours can be super beneficial in a number of ways," he said.

Since the club launched at the end of October, more than 2 000 people have taken part. "It's really just growing super rapidly in London. Every event seems to sell out instantly," he said.

The club has also opened branches in Paris, Barcelona and Dubai. The first Offline Club was launched in Amsterdam by Ilya Kneppelhout and two friends.

"The loneliness epidemic and the mental health epidemics are on the rise. So people really seek connection, genuine connection with others away from screens," said Kneppelhout.

"A lot of us have social media and phone addictions because we're using it even though we don't want to... and we're using it even though we know it doesn't make us feel better."

Kneppelhout has been inspired by book clubs such as Reading Rhythms in New York or the Silent Book Club where people gather to read together.

Those seeking a longer detox can even join retreats in several countries lasting days.

Some influencers, ever present on social media, are leading the way. French woman Lena Mahfouf announced to her millions of followers in November that she was taking a month-long break.

Venetia La Manna, an online activist for sustainable fashion, disconnects from her phone every weekend, and lets her followers know with the hashtag #offline48.

"I'm able to be more present with my loved ones, I sleep better, I have more time to be creative, to be in nature and to be with my community."

For most people, "the real issue isn't necessarily harm to mental health; it's missed opportunities. What didn't you do because you were scrolling?" said Anna Cox, a professor of human-computer interaction at University College London.

"Did you miss a conversation with your partner," for example, or stay up later than planned and put off doing the washing up?

But Cox said there are excellent strategies "to help people reduce the time they spend on their devices", such as turning off notifications or switching the phone's interface to black and white. "We need to educate ourselves - and particularly young people - on how to take control of our devices," she added.  |  AFP