Auhana Hannan, a junior at the College of Arts & Science, thinks she was happier as a kid \u2014 before she had a smartphone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually went outside and played, and I didn\u2019t need to constantly text all my friends,\u201d she told WSN. \u201cI would just see them at school the next day and everything would be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
NYU IRL\u2019s monthlong Phone Breakup Challenge, which ended on Oct. 25, helped her recall what it felt like to live in a world before smartphones. For the challenge, \u201cHow to Break Up with Your Phone\u201d author Catherine Price dared students to make their phones black and white, call friends instead of texting them and \u2014 in the most terrifying challenge of all \u2014 go cold turkey from their phones for a harrowing 24 hours.<\/p>\n
In the NEST, the Kimmel Center for University Life\u2019s phone-free lounge where Hannan also works, students participated in face-to-face activities like tote bag decorating and Polaroid snapping. Hannan said the space, equipped with plushies, puzzles and games, helped students make friends without the pressures of technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving spaces like the NEST where you meet people in real time, you make those connections in real time,\u201d Hannan said. \u201cYou\u2019re like, \u2018Oh my gosh, I actually really like talking to you. How about later we connect and get a coffee or something?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Figures behind NYU IRL have compared getting off your phone to a journey of reclamation. Jonathan Haidt, whose work inspired the program, urged the class of 2026<\/a> on commencement day to \u201ctake control of your own attention\u201d back from social media platforms. In her Presidential Welcome speech this year, NYU President Linda Mills encouraged incoming first-years<\/a> to put down their devices and \u201cembrace real life.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Tandon sophomore Ishani Upadhyaya attributes her recent decrease in screentime to being busy with midterms, she said that the challenge also helped keep her on track. She said her screen time a month ago was five hours per day, and now, it is down to two hours. Upadhyaya set out to read more and said that over the 30-day challenge, she was working her way through a self-care book.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first, it was a little bit hard to keep myself from being on my phone. But then, as the challenge progressed, I was able to get rid of that urge,\u201d Upadhyaya told WSN. \u201cI would hopefully not get back to having the urge to pick up my phone whenever I\u2019m not doing something, or if I\u2019m on the bus. Hopefully that sticks.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Hannan and Upadhyaya proposed suggestions for improving the challenge, should administrators organize the initiative again. Upadhyaya suggested that NYU offer students a reward for signing up. Hannan noticed attendance waning at the NEST as the challenge progressed and thought having lower-commitment, drop-in activities may help with student retention.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the NEST, we would have a lot of people come in and say, \u2018Oh my gosh! I heard about the challenge and I heard about the event, but I wasn\u2019t able to make it during that time,\u2019\u201d Hannan said. \u201cAnd we\u2019d have to turn them down because it wasn\u2019t the scheduled day for the activity.\u201d<\/p>\n Hannan said that she has spent more time with her friends to avoid the temptation of using her phone. When she received a notification, she would first assess its urgency: Could she reply to that email later?<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I\u2019m more intentional with my phone usage now, especially when I\u2019m in the middle of doing work or in class or just throughout my waking day,\u201d Hannan said. \u201cI try to reevaluate why I\u2019m trying to use my phone before I even go and reach for it.\u201d<\/p>\n