Meetup: A phone-free event series for fostering community participation in the UK and beyond, with an application to the Offline Club in Amsterdam

But 2025 could mark the turning point of this deep friendship recession. When a rising number of people swap screen time for real world interactions, it is the year.

We’re trying to get back into the social fabric of local life by reaching towards things that knit us together. According to new research in the UK from the National Lottery Community Fund, 50% of UK adults intend to participate in local volunteering activities in four years’ time. Over 70 percent say it’s important to them to feel part of their local community.

Meetup, the global platform that enables over 60 million people to use the internet to get off the internet and meet up in the real world, had a 19 percent rise in registrations in 2023. The number one reason people use the platform is to find meaningful connections, up 50 percent over previous years according to the latest measurement report. “Friends” is the most popular search term for events, and “Book Club” is back in the top 10.

Yondr, founded in the US, partners with comedy clubs, arenas, clubs, and schools to organize phone-free events. Jack White, Bob Dylan, Garth Brooks, John Mayer, Madonna, and Adele have all implemented cell phone bans at their concerts so they could stop looking out at a sea of blinking smartphones, and to help the audience to connect by disconnecting.

In a cozy café in Amsterdam, with plush sofas and warm lighting, a group of people sit around talking, laughing, and playing board games. But something noticeable is missing. There is no phone in sight. It’s one of a regular series of community events held by the burgeoning Offline Club, where members pay around $8.00 to leave their phone in a lock box at the door and spend the next few hours unplugged. Demand is growing rapidly. In the UK, the Netherlands, and even Sweden, regular events hosted in cafés, churches, and town halls are selling out fast, thanks to what started as a local initiative.

Getting Better Social Connections: An Empirical Plan to Support Young People in Adolescents and Unaccompanied Minority Sexual Explosions

But the emotional risk was worth it, she says. The surf group was uplifting. She felt seen by the other people in it. Just the fact that the instructors remembered her name felt profound and meaningful.

Mendez participated in one such club, called Intersxtn Surf — a group for women of color who surf together. The first time I was nervous, I was beyond nervous.

This year, Hinge invested $1 million in 40 groups that meet in person in cities including Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York. The list includes an art collective, a filmmaking club and a group that gathers to read together.

The two organizations collaborated on a plan to promote real-life connections not just romantic. The One More Hour is a nod to the surgeon general’s emphasis on the need to spend time with friends. Racoosin says it’s unrealistic to plan for a return to a society where people aren’t absorbed in their phones or working remotely. Yet even a small amount of time spent in real life can make a big difference for young people.

They turned to the Foundation for Social Connection — a research and policy group that works to address social isolation — for partnership. The group is also studying this demographic. The foundation’s executive director says that there was a decrease in social groups, clubs, and third spaces for people to gather.

Hinge’s concern is more than just altruistic. People are more successful at dating when they have meaningful relationships in their life, according to the company. Those who don’t have strong social circles, Penny says, end up bringing long checklists of needs to a potential partner. It can be too much for a relationship to bear.

When the surgeon general issued a 2023 warning on the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation, one fact stood out: People between the ages of 15-24 spend 70% less time in person with friends than those of the same age did in 2003. This difference means more than 1,000 fewer hours per year.

Genesy didn’t have confidence when it came to socializing as a child. The pandemic compounded things, and the 29-year-old elementary school teacher says she felt out of practice around making friends.

The surfing group helped her make new friends. Outside of surfing, she is spending time with her friends. Her success inspired her to join a running group, and she met a man she’s dating now — not a surfer.

Source: How to solve the Gen Z social isolation problem? She tried surfing and it worked

One More Hour: What are the biggest challenges in engaging in social media? How do they relate to the millennials? An expert interview with Hinge

It’s unclear the extent to which Hinge’s efforts will pay off. There are far more members of Generation Z than they can reach. Penny says One More Hour is an attempt to surface lessons learned for wider use among those trying to mitigate a problem unique to this younger generation.

In an effort to evaluate the efficacy of One More Hour, Hinge polled participants about their biggest challenges in engaging in groups like these. Cost and time were both issues, but Penny says the biggest concern was around the emotional barriers — questions like ‘What if I don’t fit in?’ ‘ What if I’m not able to find what I am looking for? The skills required for in-person socializing, says Penny, are different than those people need to engage online, and this generation is simply out of shape. “They just need to build these muscles.”