Gen Z, born approximately between 1997 and 2010, is referred to by some as “Generation Text.” They were the first group of teens, alongside some younger Millennials, to grow up with cell phones, social media, and texting already part of everyday life by the time they reached age 12. For older Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers, our teen years—even into our early twenties—were free of cell phones, texting, and social media.
Sure, no matter the generation, most teens and young adults experience some form of anxiety. But being tethered to a screen while the brain is still in its formative years has added an extra layer of stress for some members of Gen Z. The good news is that Gen Z is doing something about it.
Putting phones away for the evening
According to The Washington Post, students at New York University have been ditching their phones for a little time off. On the paper’s Instagram post, they explain how it works:
“At the gate, guests slipped their phones into little cloth bags, putting them away for the evening. More than 200 students from New York University gathered at a table nearly as long as the city block. It was cold, but they leaned in to talk with strangers, laughing and trading stories.
Instead of the socializing that American college culture is known for, many students walk around campus looking down at their phones, scroll through elevator rides, and sit in classrooms glued to their laptops.
Many college leaders are concerned about the amount of time students spend on screens and social media, worried that it is increasing isolation, loneliness, and anxiety, shattering attention spans, and preventing social connections.
New York University is one of the places trying to change that, with a global effort that they’re calling NYU IRL — or NYU ‘in real life.’”
Slows down doomscrolling
These phone-free parties can be an excellent way to stop doomscrolling and perhaps even improve mental health. (Of course, people of all generations might benefit from putting their phones away for a bit.)
Popular around the world
Eventbrite has been monitoring parties and events and reports that these IRL gatherings are becoming more common worldwide:
“Phone-free events grew 567% globally between 2024 and 2025, with attendance rising 121%, expanding from 5 to 12 countries. These events now span the full calendar year, signaling a shift from temporary reset to sustained behavior. The momentum is most pronounced in the U.S. and U.K., though each market reflects a distinct pattern of growth.”
In the United States, those gatherings are rising as well. Eventbrite reveals, “While event volume grew by 388%, attendance jumped by 913%, as creators transitioned to larger, communal experiences where average event sizes more than doubled.”
And it might look different depending on where you live. The research also suggests that, in Denver, a phone-free night could take place on a “packed dance floor.” But across the pond in England, the phones are still switched off, though the activity is much calmer: “Guests hand over their phones and settle into two uninterrupted hours with a book. With soft music, a glass of wine or herbal tea, and a simple grazing box, it’s a form of ‘soft socializing,’ where presence takes precedence over performance.”
Breathe in, breathe out
In a first-person piece for USA Today, Rachel Hale describes her experience at a phone-free party after locking her cell phone in a small pouch.
“Around 11 p.m., someone ushers me outside to the patio,” Hale explained. “A girl in Doc Martens, a white chiffon scarf, and a plaid coat guides us through a somatic ritual. We place our hands on our hearts. ‘This is the first piece of technology we ever owned,’ says Amalia Mayorga, the ritual organizer. ‘Breathe in, breathe out.’”
That seems to be the purpose: breathing, staying present, and taking just a little time off.
Hale also told CBS News that she believes there’s a “fear that there’s going to be a photo that’s going to end up of me online tomorrow. Or I can not dance as freely because it might be recorded. But it’s more than just that. It’s also that having this social barrier kind of lowered makes it easier for people to talk to strangers or approach friends they haven’t seen in awhile.”
