Dubai is all set to host its first phone-free meetup this Sunday, September 22. A café in Jumeirah will be turned into a no-device zone as visitors will unplug from their phones and reconnect with others in a non-digital space.
This digital detox is conceptualised by Offline Club from The Netherlands, that has partnered with Seva Café to bring their growing offline community movement to Dubai.
Upon entering the café, phones would be handed over and given back only at the end of the session. Without any digital distractions, visitors are free to read a book, paint, write, or do any other activity they enjoy; or simply strike conversation with a stranger.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
The first part of the meetup will have time for solo engagement, followed by an interactive social session and a sound healing experience in the café’s garden.
“It is going to be a special evening, where people can step back in time and enjoy the simple pleasure of being fully present – no phones, no screens, just great company and a relaxed setting,” Andrea Stefanelli, one of the co-founders of The Offline Club, told Khaleej Times.
First phone-free hangout
The club had its first such hangout around seven months ago, in February 2024, in a café in Amsterdam and soon found tremendous success.
Ironically, however, it was their Instagram reel that went viral and the founders of the club were flooded with messages to host these meetups globally. In the reel that hit a million likes, visitors at the offline meeting were seen knitting, doodling and journaling. In today’s tech saturated world, this scene offered a window to a much-needed sanctuary for people to experience digital detox from the virtual world.
“People’s current relationship with the phone has many negative consequences, and we want to change that. The goal of the club is to make a global impact because everywhere people have more screen time than they want,” shared Stefanelli, a Dubai resident who first went to one of the meetings in May 2024 in Utrecht and became so passionate about the cause that he joined the team as an organiser.
He added: “Dubai is a hyper-connected city with a fast-paced lifestyle, where residents feel the need to unplug and recharge. And with this refreshing initiative, Dubai residents too can discover the power of offline living.”
Spread of offline movement
Besides Dubai and The Netherlands, the offline movement has spread to London, Aarhus, Milan, Paris and Barcelona.
Incidentally, the three founders of the club in their late twenties grew up in the digital era. The idea of the club was first sowed in the summer of 2021, when 28-year old Dutch Jordy Van Bennekom, one of the co-founders of the club, spent a weekend offline in a house in The Netherlands , surrounded by nature to read, reflect and slow down. He came back fully rested and recharged.
The profound impact of the time spent away from his devices urged him to team up with his friends Ilya Kneppelhout and Valentijn Klok to launch The Offline Club in February 2024.
“As someone who has grown up in a tech driven world, I know how hard it is to detach from our screens. This bothers me as I realise my phone is taking away time, I would rather spend doing things I really value. Out there, many others think alike, as we have witnessed the offline movement grow from our first meetup seven months ago to our current schedule of 27 events in the month of September itself,” noted Kneppelhout.
Letting off digital overload
The offline movement has made its mark at a time when the world is experiencing a digital overload and a loneliness crisis. According to DataReportal’s January 2024 report, globally the average person spends six hours and 40 minutes, looking at a screen each day, with two hours and 23 minutes of it scrolling through social media.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) points out that there is a link between elevated anxiety , despair and feelings of loneliness with excessive social media usage.
Dubai-based psychologist Sangeeta Manglani has observed adults and teens feeling overwhelmed by the constant drive to be connected. She noted: “Online addiction can cause emotional weariness, sleep issues and even broken relationships. It fosters a culture of diversion where deep connections and introspection are frequently overlooked.”
In this scenario, The Offline Club’s digital hangouts help people strike a balance between their digital and non-digital life. “Such offline gatherings bring back memories of a time before smartphones and the internet took over when people met without the strain of updates and notifications building relationships that were more genuine and profound,” Manglani highlighted.
Bennekom, co-founder of the club, added: “People really need less screen time and more offline hours. We have seen so many wonderful friendships begin and love stories blossom at our events. Personally, stepping away from digital distraction has reduced my stress levels, made me more focused and engaged, and aware of my presence as a living being.”