"Club Offline" now has nearly 530,000 followers on Instagram. It sounds ironic, since the club calls for distancing from social networks, including Instagram. The three founders of the account - Jordi, Ilya and Valentin, admit that it is strange to maintain a social network account that calls for us to get off social networks. The three young men want to "return humanity to today's isolated and screen-obsessed society", as they explain.
For about a year now, the three Dutchmen have been organizing meetings with like-minded people, where smartphones and laptops are not allowed. "Are you ready to put your phone away?", they ask in the account. It seems that more and more people are ready to do so - at least within the framework of "Club Offline". Sometimes the meetings last several hours, other times - several days. Instead of constantly staring at their phones, attendees read, play games or relax. The club is advertised as a journey back in time to the years before smartphones.
The concept was created in the Netherlands, but in the last year it has spread all over the world. Amsterdam is one of the first locations of the club, followed by London, Paris, Milan and Copenhagen. Meetings have also been organized in Germany. Also becoming increasingly popular are establishments that require their customers not to bring their phones with them when they visit.
Always online - whether you want to or not
"Club Offline" seems to be coming at the right time. Young people often find it very difficult to simply switch off, even though their phones offer such an option. Even the return of old-fashioned flip phones, now popular as "boring phones", has not been able to eliminate the huge interest in smartphones.
According to the German industry association "Bitcom", young people between the ages of 16 and 29 spend more than three hours a day on their smartphones. This means that they use their devices the most compared to other age groups.
Nearly half dream of a world without the Internet
However, many young people say they would like to spend significantly less time on their smartphones. According to a new study from the UK, nearly 70 percent of people between the ages of 16 and 21 feel bad about spending too much time on social media. That's why almost half would support imposing a "digital curfew" that would prohibit access to certain apps after 10 p.m. 46 percent even say they would prefer to live in a world without the internet.
The results of this survey match other similar studies in which many young people say they would prefer TikTok, Instagram and X had never been created.
What politicians are doing
This may also trigger action at the state level - even if the efforts of politicians seem insufficient to meet the demands of some young people. According to the British newspaper "The Guardian", the UK's technology minister, Peter Kyle, is considering introducing mandatory "curfew hours". Norway wants to raise the minimum age for creating a social media profile from 13 to 15.
Australia has already taken such a step - there the minimum age at which someone can have their own social media profile is 16. Other countries are changing their school policies - smartphones are now completely banned in classrooms and schoolyards in Denmark. According to Danish Education Minister Matthias Tesfaye, the approach to digitalization has been too naive so far.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian Ministry of Education has proposed legal changes that would prohibit the use of mobile phones in school, if it is not related to educational and medical purposes, or in force majeure circumstances.
The ministry specifies that the use of electronic devices not only interferes with concentration and lowers the educational results of students, but also worsens their cognitive, motor, social, emotional and communicative skills. Currently, a similar ban is in effect in some Bulgarian schools at the initiative of the principals.
Depression due to social networks?
Excessive smartphone use can cause various problems such as depression, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders and even addiction. A study published earlier this year by the medical journal BMC Medicine showed a 27 percent decrease in symptoms of depression with limited smartphone use.
According to the OECD, the mental health of young people has deteriorated dramatically over the past 15 years - a trend that has been further exacerbated by the pandemic. During this period, there has also been a huge increase in the use of social networks. However, according to the OECD, research has not yet been able to prove a clear cause-and-effect relationship between these processes.
However, the founders of "Club Offline" want to continue to act in the same direction and expand their meetings. At a meeting in London in early April, over 1,000 people turned off their mobile phones and smiled happily for the camera. A new record, the organizers proudly announced - on Instagram, of course.
Author: Stephanie Höpner