'The Offline Club' - new exclusive hangout spot offering digital detox at a price

Clarence Ford speaks to Barbara Friedman about trending online news.

(Skip to 7:33 for this one)

Connecting by disconnecting is the aim of The Offline Club - an organisation in the Netherlands providing spaces where people can come together to relax and enjoy a space without cellphones or the internet. 

Events put on by the organisation take place at various cafes around the Netherlands which participants pay for.

These digital detox spaces bring people seeking to unplug, relax, have fun and swap screen time for hours of real time together.

How does it work?

• You hand over your phone upon entry to the event.
• Have some time to chat with others at the beginning of the event then enjoy time to yourself, have some more time to connect with others, followed by another 30 minutes of quiet time by yourself.
• During quiet time, participants are invited to do an activity – like reading, painting, play a board game, do a puzzle or draw – provided that they don’t interrupt others.

Here's how some quiet time at The Offline Club might look:

Digital detoxing is nothing new in the Netherlands. As of January, students aged 12 to 18 are no longer allowed to use mobile phones, tablets, and smartwatches during school hours.

The Offline Club isn’t the only group in the Netherlands leading the way as other organisations are also encouraging attendees to 'connect by disconnecting' and perhaps this idea will ripple through to other parts of the world too.

"When I look at it, it makes me feel so nostalgic and so calm. I've thought about it quite a lot and psychologists are saying the constant scrolling on Instagram and TikTok is causing your brain processor to work on overload and that dopamine effect where it's constantly giving you these hits - all of that together, is a very stressful environment."

- Barbara Friedman, Barb's Wire 

"I know it's hard to put your phone down but when you do - it is so good for you and you can feel it. It's amazing to me that you have to create an Offline Club and you have to pay for the privilege where you are sitting somewhere not to have your phone."

- Barbara Friedman, Barb's Wire