Walk across any college campus today, and you’ll see a familiar sight: students engrossed in their smartphones, even when surrounded by peers. Laptops and tablets accompany meals, earbuds are a constant, and quiet moments are often filled with digital distractions. This pervasive device dependency leaves many young people craving more meaningful, in-person connections.
This ubiquitous screen-time became a source of frustration for Seán Killingsworth, a 22-year-old former University of Central Florida student. During his sophomore year, he reflected, ‘What is this life I’m signing up for? It was just like, I’m talking to a bunch of zombies.’
Seán longed for a setting where he could engage with his classmates freely, without the awkwardness of interrupting their digital focus. He had faced similar challenges in high school, where he successfully initiated phone-free gatherings with friends.
He wondered, why not replicate this approach in college?
In 2023, Seán co-founded the Reconnect Movement, introducing the concept of phone-free social gatherings to the University of Central Florida and Rollins College. The premise is simple: participants check their phones at the door and engage in device-free conversations. This idea quickly resonated, and Reconnect has since expanded to six universities across four states. The movement is now reaching beyond college campuses, with successful phone-free events held in cities like New York, and plans for future events in Orlando and Tampa, inviting everyone to participate.
The surging popularity of Reconnect highlights a broader cultural shift in how both adults and young people view smartphones and social media.
While a definitive causal link between digital media and rising rates of loneliness, anxiety, and depression in young people remains complex to prove, many experts are raising concerns about potential mental health impacts. Initiatives encouraging reduced or delayed smartphone use, such as ‘Wait Until 8th’ and best-selling books like Jonathan Haidt’s ‘The Anxious Generation,’ have deeply resonated with parents. Furthermore, new legislation across the country aims to prohibit phones in public schools.
Unlike some student-led movements that advocate for complete phone abstinence, Reconnect takes a different approach. Seán Killingsworth emphasizes creating ‘human connection habitats’ that naturally foster engagement, thereby minimizing the need for constant willpower to resist technology. At Reconnect meetings, a ‘phone valet’ whisks away everyone’s smartphones and places them into a backpack until the club’s activities are done.
Seán acknowledges that the idea itself isn’t groundbreaking, but he argues that novelty isn’t what his generation truly needs. ‘Gen Z needs a normal that we’ve never experienced,’ he stated, underscoring a desire for foundational, face-to-face interaction.
Building a ‘human connection habitat’
On a warm fall afternoon, nearly 40 University of Central Florida students convened at the campus arboretum for Reconnect’s inaugural meeting of the semester. Following the unique ritual of surrendering their devices to a ‘phone valet’ – essentially a backpack where phones were kept – they settled onto colorful blankets, ready for an hour of screen-free interaction.
With reggae music from Stick Figure playing softly from a CD player, students gradually eased into making eye contact and conversation. The scene felt reminiscent of two decades ago, a refreshing break from modern digital norms.
Mia Shaffner, 20, the U.C.F. club president, observes that students initially feel uncomfortable. She likens phones to a ‘digital pacifier,’ noting that peers often resort to scrolling when anxious. Yet, by the end of each session, she highlights how they discover the unexpected ease of genuine conversation.
To break the ice, Mia prompted introductions, asking each person to share a weekly high and low. Taylor Radtke, 20, the club’s social media coordinator and baker of brown butter M&M cookies for the event, recounted her high: a new tattoo of a striped cat in a cowboy hat, swinging a lasso—a playful tribute to her two cats, Bandit and Lucky, back in Wisconsin.
This personal anecdote naturally sparked further one-on-one conversations.
“It led me to share about my other tattoos, their meanings, and from there we got to talking about each other’s interests and their own pets,” Ms. Radtke explained. “You never know what you might have in common.”
Reconnect events aren’t limited to just talking. Members might embark on hikes followed by cookouts, engage in art projects, or even meditate – a particularly popular stress-reliever during exam periods.
On this particular day, however, conversation was the sole agenda.
Daniel Lindemann, an 18-year-old freshman, joined Reconnect with a personal goal: to meet four new people daily. He credits the club with ‘forcing me to not stay in my dorm and eat food and rot in bed.’ At a recent Reconnect meeting at U.C.F., students ate homemade cookies and took turns introducing themselves to one another.
When asked if he had encountered any other setting where his peers were genuinely phone-free, Daniel paused thoughtfully.
His answer was a simple, ‘Not really.’
Navigating the social ‘wasteland’
The pervasive screen culture on campus often means that genuine attempts at real-life connection go unnoticed or unreciprocated.
Isabella Ortiz, 18, a freshman biotechnology major, joined Reconnect to make new friends. She recounted a recent experience on campus: complimenting another student’s hair, only to realize the student, wearing headphones, hadn’t heard her at all.
Isabella feels that everyone at school, including herself, is ‘chronically online.’ She admitted to previous unsuccessful attempts at deleting social media platforms.
Seán Killingsworth himself once struggled with compulsive phone use. He described a ‘constant 24-7 feeling’ of needing to be online, responding to every notification and email.
Social media comparisons were particularly detrimental, with Snapchat contributing to his self-consciousness about his appearance. Watching skilled skateboarders on Instagram performing incredible tricks in fantastic parks left him feeling inadequate.
Ultimately, Seán deleted his social media accounts and switched to a flip phone, believing his smartphone hindered his happiness. In a powerful speech last fall, he characterized phones as tools that ‘weaken and destroy’ social ecosystems, calling Gen Z’s social environment a ‘wasteland.’
However, not all experts agree on the villainization of digital media. Psychologist Candice L. Odgers, for instance, suggests that increased social media use might be a reflection of existing depression or anxiety, rather than a direct cause. She and others point out that these platforms can also offer valuable avenues for self-expression and connection.
Despite the constant pull of devices, teenagers themselves report enjoying digital breaks. A 2023 Pew Research Center study revealed that approximately three-quarters of teens felt happier or more peaceful without their smartphones. Yet, paradoxically, over 40 percent also admitted to feeling anxious, upset, or lonely when separated from their phones.
Once everyone has set aside their phones at Reconnect meet-ups, though, Mr. Killingsworth said that anxiety tended to lessen. Sofia Brunetta, the vice president of U.C.F.’s Reconnect club, hands back everyone’s phones at the end of the meeting.
By the close of next year, a further 11 Reconnect chapters are anticipated to launch across high schools, colleges, and cities. While interest is clearly growing, the notion of a completely phone-free social experience still presents a hurdle for some students.
During a recent U.C.F. meeting, a curious young woman approached the group, interested in learning more. However, when Seán offered to ‘valet’ her phone, she paused.
“I thought you just didn’t use it — I didn’t know you took it away,” she explained, before ultimately deciding, “I think I’m just going to go.”