LIVE, LAUGH AND LOG OFF: What’s your weekend plan? Going offline!

For many Chennaiites, weekends are increasingly becoming an opportunity to do something radical: put their phones away. Across the city, groups of friends, families and neighbours are embracing digital detoxes, swapping scrolling for board games and long conversations.

The idea is not to reject technology altogether, but to carve out a few hours where notifications and work messages don’t dictate the rhythm of the day.Offline, but togetherFor Kalpana and Sumit, the first Sunday of every month comes with one simple rule: no phones, tablets or television after breakfast. The family of four spends the day cooking together, playing Rummikub and going for evening walks. “My daughter complains every single time because all her friends are online.

But by lunchtime, everyone is arguing over the board game instead. If we don’t intentionally switch off together, we’d probably spend the whole weekend in the same house but in different worlds,” says Kalpana.

Teenager Aditi admits the first hour can be difficult. “You keep thinking about your phone. Then, you just forget about it. Last month, we spent three hours playing Rummikub and my dad got way too competitive,” she says.

The Sunday switch-off clubWhat began as four college friends complaining about doomscrolling has evolved into a weekly ritual. Every Sunday, the now seven-member group meets at a café or the beach, leaves their phones in a pile and agrees that the first person to check theirs buys coffee for everyone else. “We’d usually be sitting together and still sending each other Reels. Now, we talk about everything from breakups to job interviews,” says architecture student Archita.

Her friend Joseph adds, “Doing it alone feels like punishment. Doing it with friends feels like you’re getting your life back.”Why unplugging together worksCommunities such as Art Forest, which organises digital detox retreats and offline gatherings, say the social element often makes unplugging easier. “We naturally adopt behaviours we see around us. When you see others dancing, singing, learning, crafting, painting, reading, cooking, playing or simply having conversations, your brain feels safe doing those things too,” says founder Devansh.The 6-to-8 BenchAt an apartment complex in Velachery, a group of young professionals has created its own version of a digital detox. They call it “The 6-to-8 Bench”. Most of them work in IT, media and finance, making a full-scale digital detox impractical during the week. Instead, they hand their phones to the security guard for two hours and spend the evening walking, playing badminton or simply chatting. “We’re on our phones all day for work, so this is our reset,” says resident Harsha.

Software engineer Raghav agrees. “If I did this alone, I’d cave in within 110 minutes. But when everyone around you has put their phone away, it feels natural. You stop looking at screens and start paying attention to people.”Written By: Aashna Reddy