New York University students are driving a campaign for less screen time and more in-person friendships through a new device-free lounge featuring coloring books and board games.
The initiative, called "NYU IRL" or "in real life," aims to help students step back from their phones. The Human Connection Club at NYU guided the school to open the new screen-free lounge this spring.
"A designated space where it's okay to not be on your phone. It's OK to not study and really just talk and connect to the person next to you," Grant Callahan, one of the founders of the Human Connection Club, explained.
Callahan said the new tools, which include Play-Doh, are necessary for students.
"Just because we're no longer in middle school or elementary school doesn't mean we don't need our recess time," Callahan said.
Hannah Swartz, an NYU senior and president of the Human Connection Club, said her attachment to her phone started while trying to keep up with friends during the pandemic.
"Our phones have become our third arm," Swartz said.
"We're kind of waking up and seeing that's not a real connection," Swartz said."But because we've kind of learned to do it through social media, we don't have the skills to do it elsewhere."
NYU is also taking the initiative into the classroom when it makes sense. Kristie Patten, an NYU professor and counselor to the university's president, said the effort is an exploration rather than a phone ban.
"The students will tell you, look if the professors' up there showing a Powerpoint, we're all on our computers. We're all doing something else," Patten said.
A recent survey suggests Generation Z is leading the charge as more Americans try to intentionally step away from their devices. About 63% of respondents say they are carving out screen-free time in their day.
Some critics have dubbed the collegiate space a "daycare for adults" because of the games and Play-Doh. Callahan embraces the moniker.
"I'd rather be the person that tries to solve the problem.... rather than acknowledging there is a problem and not doing anything about it," Callahan said.
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