LIFE HACKS
Young adults flock to London ‘offline’ nights THE OFFLINE REVIVAL
ONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 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 told AFP, as she headed into an evening out organised by the Offline Club in London. Tickets were quickly snapped up for the two-hour “digital detox” night, with more than 150 young adults—mostly L
minutes a day on their smartphones. For others, it’s even more. Liliann Delacruz, 22, admitted she spends around 10 hours daily texting, surfing the web, and checking social media. For her, the event was a chance to “get outside my bubble.” Inside the venue, a London church, tables were scattered with board games as a buzz of conversation filled the room. Engineer Harry Stead, 25, said surrendering his phone felt “freeing.” “I don’t realise the addiction, and too often I feel the urge to look at my phone
aged between 20 and 35—eager to ditch their screens and connect IRL (in real life). Each participant paid £9.50 ($11.97) for the chance to log off and engage in face-to-face conversations. “We are the technology generation, but we’re tired of it. We want to reconnect with the real world,” said Bianca Bolum, a 25-year-old jeweller who came alone, hoping to meet new people. According to the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom, young Brits aged 25 to 34 spend an average of four hours and three
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