“With Gen Z, the phone is going to eat first,” says Rock Harper, chef and owner of Hush Harbor. “There’s none of that here, you eat first or you share with your table mate.” Without phones as a constant distraction, Harper says the high-top tables at Hush Harbor are brimming with Cards Against Humanity, Solitaire and even Monopoly.
The restaurant is just one of many tech-free spaces popping up around the world. The Offline Club hosts unplugged events across Europe, while Bistecca in Sydney asks diners to seal their phones in lockboxes so they can truly be present.
The cognitive benefits to time spent on and off the grid
Gen Z’s unplugged movement is gaining traction, and research is beginning to reveal how off-screen alternatives affects the brain.
“One of the best ways to keep your brain healthy is by engaging socially with people,” says Miller. “Having another level of social engagement above and beyond your family and the immediate people you live with is very important.”
Your nightly scroll through TikTok and Instagram reels while simultaneously watching a show on TV could also take a cognitive toll, Miller warns. The longer the brain spends trying to reconfigure itself to each task, the greater the margin of error and the more mistakes the brain makes. As a result, your critical thinking skills and your memory can decline, says Miller.