At UC Berkeley, some students are trying a simple fix for life online, they are leaving their phones behind.

Students on campus have started hosting “no-phone parties,” gatherings where attendees put away their devices and focus on conversation, creativity and human connection.

The events are organised by Project Reboot, a student-led movement focused on helping young people build healthier relationships with technology.

The group says it is not anti-technology. Instead, it wants students to take back control of their attention and use technology intentionally.

“Technology is neither inherently good nor bad,” the organisation explains. “While it has the power to addict, distract, and depress, it also has the potential to inform, inspire, and empower.”

Project Reboot is encouraging students to think more carefully about how technology affects their lives and habits, rather than abandon screens entirely.

According to a survey of UC Berkeley undergraduates, 78 percent of students said their phone use prevents them from “thinking deeply, being creative, or engaging fully with ideas.”

For some students, that problem feels personal.

“It sucks that on a regular basis I am having to fight with my phone and I feel like I am losing control over my life,” student Dawson Kelly said.

Project Reboot says that without screens competing for attention, conversations become more meaningful and people feel more present with one another.

Students involved in the movement say they worry their generation is losing the ability to connect face-to-face.

Through small habit changes, Project Reboot hopes students can strengthen mindfulness, discipline, resilience and creativity while spending less time scrolling.

The students behind the movement also hope the idea spreads beyond the Berkeley campus.

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