COLUMBIA — Some consumers are now paying for something many people used to get for free: time away from their phones.
It is part of an emerging consumer behavior trend known as digital detox, where people attend retreats, programs or experiences that encourage them to unplug from screens and reconnect with the world around them. Now, that trend is reaching Missouri.
St. Louis health and wellness coach Jess Thenhaus is introducing that trend to Missourians by creating an outdoor digital detox retreat called Go Play Outside. The retreat runs for five weeks on Sundays, where participants meet at a different park for an hour and a half.
Thenhaus has worked in wellness coaching for five years. This is her second year running the retreat, but she said the idea became more urgent after the pandemic.
"After the pandemic, this kind of realization we're so disconnected led me to pivot back into health and wellness," Thenhaus said. "People really need to be connected to nature because the world is moving so fast, and we are very disconnected."
The retreat's name came from a childhood memory.
"I had this idea like, 'Gosh, I just need my mom to ground me,'" Thenhaus said. "And I remember as kid, my mom being like, 'Go play outside. Turn that off and go get outside.' And so that really was the inspiration."
Like Thenhaus, Hexagon Alley has a similar concept. The Columbia business encourages face-to-face interactions with choices from over 750 board games.
The business even offers memberships.
James Long, the assistant general manager of Hexagon Alley, said its business model was centered around the idea of pushing people to put their phones down.
"A lot of the time, where the digital age is so powerful and people are on their phones and everyone has really bad screen time and like all that kind of stuff, to have something where you can meet face-to-face and focus on the in-person interaction, that was the idea," Long said.
Lembke said accountability is more needed today because of how difficult it is to unplug.
"Anytime we get some feedback, it triggers serotonin and dopamine where we get an adrenaline rush," Lembke said.
And while devices might have negative repercussions, he said the goal is to not reject technology altogether.
"Social media can be a very effective tool," Lembke said. "It's what we do with it and how we use it."
Thenhaus said participants often leave surprised by how much a simple break from screens can affect them.
"Some of the things that people have said is that I didn't realize that something so simple could have such a big impact," Thenhaus said.
Aa digital detox grows, Thenhaus said the trend is less about giving something and more about getting something back.
