UF students ditch screens for board games and ‘IRL’ conversations at Reconnect events

Over 20 students gathered at the Plaza of the Americas Feb. 18 on an array of bright, multi-colored quilts. Students of different majors and backgrounds flicked cards onto the UNO pile, twisted their bodies into seemingly impossible knots on a Twister mat and sketched out absurd prompts in a game of Scrawl, a quirky take on Pictionary. 

Cracking vinyl records spun from a record player connected to a mobile power source. The albums of choice included soft-rock “Rumours” by Fleetwood Mac and lo-fi hip-hop “Operation: Doomsday” by MF Doom. In the uniquely analog setting, something was noticeably absent: phones.

This was no accident. The students belong to The Reconnect Movement, a group dedicated to reclaiming face-to-face interaction in the age of endless scrolling. Its rule is simple — no screens and no distractions. Just pure, uninterrupted connection.

According to the group’s website, the goal is to “host phone-free events every other week to create a fully engaged, uninterrupted social environment that Gen Z rarely experiences.” Meetings range from painting socials to group hikes and on-campus gatherings, where the only notifications come from the Century Tower bell. 

At each event, participants are met with a warm smile from Ryan Barker, the UF Reconnect chapter president, before they surrender their phones in exchange for a Reconnect-branded claim ticket — one of the few moments on campus where a phone doesn’t hold the price of admission, but the cost of presence.

Bianca Roberts, a 19-year-old UF psychology sophomore, said she heard about Reconnect through an email to psychology majors last year and has been coming to the bi-weekly meetings ever since. Approaching people offline can be daunting, Roberts said, especially if the person is scrolling on their phone, but at Reconnect, the pressure subsides. 

“Here, you have people in the same mindset who want to do the same thing — that want to connect, that want to talk,” Roberts said. “It's just more casual. It's just the values are aligned, and it's nice to have a space for that.”

At Reconnect events, the usual barriers of digital distraction disappear. There's no need to compete with notifications or wait for someone to look up from their feed. Whether debating the best strategy in a board game or reminiscing about childhood favorites, attendees engaged in conversations more easily with new faces.

For Roberts, the shift is refreshing. She said she’s keenly aware of how often her generation turns to their phones, sometimes without even thinking.

“It's good to be conscious of when you're using your phone and how you're using it,” Roberts said. “I know some people just use it as an escape.”

For a generation deemed as “chronically online” and a campus where phones are rarely out of students’ hands in settings like classes, libraries, dining halls and social events, it’s rare to see so many students willingly without phones for 90 minutes. Both the interest in the movement and the influence of the flyers in the bathrooms on campus is undeniable, with over 500 members in the organization’s GroupMe. 

Research from Kent State University indicates high-frequency student cell phone users tend to have higher anxiety levels and lower satisfaction with life compared to their peers who use phones less often.

For most of the Reconnect participants, stepping away from their screens is already a lifestyle choice. Jose Altidor, a 21-year-old UF business management senior, said he rarely uses social media and only relies on it to stay up to date on campus events. 

As a screen-time minimalist, Altidor said unplugging at Reconnect events feels natural because he already values face-to-face connection.

“Doing something like this has helped me reflect more on the value of not having your phone when you're hanging out with people,” Altidor said. 

The first time Altidor participated in The Reconnect Movement, the club held a field day where he found himself dusting off an unexpected childhood skill — using a Hula-Hoop. 

Outside of Reconnect, 22-year-old UF environmental engineering junior Axel Mauritz is an unplugged enthusiast in his everyday life. When he heads out for a walk around his neighborhood, his phone stays behind. No music, no notifications — just the rhythm of his footsteps and the sounds of the world around him.

“People overstimulate themselves without realizing it,” Mauritz said. “I feel like your brain needs a break. I think it can tone down people's anxiety a lot to have that time off.” 

Contact Sabrina Castro at scastro@alligator.org. Follow her on X @sabs_wurld. 

---