It’s January again, which means people are taking to social media to share their plans to reduce screen time and become less dependent on their devices this year. But this time around, people seem to be taking their resolutions more seriously than usual, with some optimistically declaring 2026 the ‘year of analogue’.

TikTok posts sharing how-to guides, mini explainers for analogue habits, and inspirational montages showcasing what you could be doing offline have already racked up thousands of views. Many #analogue posts recommend Luddite-friendly swaps: a digital camera instead of an iPhone; writing thoughts down in a journal and not the Notes app; trading Spotify’s AI-powered recommendations for an iPod with a self-curated playlist; becoming part of a snail mail group instead of lost meet-up promises in group chats. Others have started creating ‘analogue bags’, which hold all the essentials (puzzle books, knitting, magazines, sketchbooks) needed to combat online dependency.

Young people have been desperate to break free from their smartphone addictions for years now – so to some extent, the analogue trend is nothing new. But at the same time, it seems to be striking a chord. “For me, this doesn’t really feel like a trend,” content creator Raphaela tells Dazed. “It’s something I’ve always done, but have tried to implement into my life even more recently.” Loni, who runs the account @whimsical.daydreamer, has also been sharing her analogue reawakening with her online following. “It began as a desire for balance,” she says. “I didn’t want to reject the digital world entirely; I just wanted to stop being consumed by it.”

It’s this cumulative exhaustion with the digital world, the burnout from online overstimulation and the depressing proliferation of AI that has led to the explosion of interest in going analogue. It’s not surprising when, according to the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom, the average young adult (18-24 years old) spends six hours and 20 minutes of their personal time on screens. On top of that, people don’t feel good about their online experiences. The same report details that only 29 per cent of adults felt that being online positively affects their mental health, down from 33 per cent in 2024.

“People are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the algorithmic economy that sees our attention as a product sold to advertisers to hold our eyeballs on screens as long as possible,” Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, Associate Professor at UCL and author of Smartphone Nation: Why We're All Addicted to Screens and What You Can Do About It, muses. “So much of [the analogue lifestyle] is about trying to become more intentional about usage, making technology work for us in the way we want it to function, and ultimately bringing our focus back towards the collective from this individualistic way of being.” Regehr theorises that the push against digital dependency in the attention economy will look like an attitude shift between generations, likening obsessive screen use to “smoking in hospital delivery rooms – something that’s wildly outdated and unhealthy.”

The analogue trend – or lifestyle change – embraces the idea of slow living, encouraging people to focus on intentionality and reevaluate their overreliance on digital technologies. The rhythms of analogue life seem softer: the whoosh of turning paper pages and the comforting crackle of a vinyl player, rather than the persistent pings and chirps of notifications. This idea resonates with Loni. “The movement is showing a desire to slow down, reclaim focus, and engage more meaningfully with both life and technology,” she says.

The trend isn’t without its issues. For starters, it’s worth questioning whether this is another instance of overconsumption masquerading as wellness. On the one hand, it’s difficult to begrudge someone the pleasure of splashing out on a fun new jigsaw, magazine, or puzzle book – but at the same time, there is the implication that to succeed at going analogue, you must first buy a bunch of new things.

“It’s comparable to healthy eating movements of the past; to eat healthily tends to cost more money. The criticism around these choices being middle-class or privileged is justified.” Regehr says of the barriers to analogue living. “We used to think about wealth and equality within the digital space as being about who had access to technology and who didn’t. We don’t speak that way anymore. We actually talk about who is able to exist without that technology and who isn't.”

However, Loni notes that the switch to analogue can include workarounds that widen accessibility and limit overconsumption: “When it’s rooted in sustainability, shopping second hand, using what you have, trading with friends, and making things handmade, [analogue] can be gentler on the environment than nonstop tech use, which relies on energy-heavy infrastructure and frequent upgrades.”

Yet perhaps the most pressing criticism that underpins the analogue movement is the way in which promoters of analogue life ironically promote their lifestyle online. It’s a hard circle to square: surely life offline can’t be all that great, if its biggest proponents are still posting about it? Surely, for the analogue lifestyle to truly succeed, the trend must die?

However, for those creating and consuming analogue-related posts, it’s not so simple. “It’s not about abandoning digital spaces, it’s about using them with intention and creating rather than just consuming,” says Loni. “Posting and creating still feel meaningful to me, but I’ve become more selective about how and why I engage and share.”

Realistically, it is unlikely there will be a mass exodus from social media just because of this new trend. But, as Loni notes, perhaps it is more of a kick-starting drive for a truly thoughtful reassessment of how screens dictate our social lives, viewing habits and attention. Raphaela feels similarly. “I think it’s great that people are seeing that this kind of lifestyle is more than possible even nowadays,” she says. “Even though I do think it’s a bit ironic that I have to spread this message across my social media… I should start putting up posters!”