A growing number of Gen Z consumers are ditching smartphones and streaming services in favour of flip phones, CDs, and digital cameras, driven by a desire to escape constant connectivity and reclaim ownership of their media.

Lucy Jackson, a 17-year-old college freshman, uses a basic phone that can only make calls and send texts with effort.

She relies on paper maps and taxi services instead of ride-sharing apps.

“I have a lot more appreciation for things that I can’t access readily at my fingertips, like any kind of media,” Jackson said.

“It is a little bit harder to make friends with people and keep in contact.”

Jackson is a board member of the Luddite Club, a nonprofit supporting smartphone breaks that now has 26 chapters, nearly all at high schools or colleges.

The movement reflects broader generational frustration with digital dependency.

According to a 2023 Harris Poll survey, 80% of Gen Z respondents felt young people were too dependent on technology, while 60% wished they “could go back to a time before everyone was ‘plugged in.’”

“They’re doing this interesting tightrope walk,” said Clay Routledge of the Human Flourishing Lab, which partnered on the survey.

“They like technology, but they feel like they’re missing something and want to get a greater sense of control over how they use it.”

Musicians including Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan are selling CDs, vinyl records, and cassette tapes to younger audiences.

Gen Z artists Carpenter, Icelandic singer Laufey, and Roan have recently topped Amazon’s CD charts.

Hunter White, a 25-year-old data engineer, collects CDs to escape streaming services he believes underpay artists and have inconsistent offerings.

He sources discs from garage sales and thrift shops, listening on a 2002 Sony player.

Last year White launched Dissonant, an app where members pay to receive curated CDs by mail with handwritten notes.

The service has around 350 members and a library of 800 discs.

“People, especially in Gen Z, are just tired of not owning anything,” White said.

Point-and-shoot digital cameras, ranging from $22 to over $450, have become prized possessions among young consumers.

TikTok features videos about Bluetooth CD players, flip phones, and digital cameras, while model Kendall Jenner recently accessorised with a Canon PowerShot on Instagram.

Tumasi Agyapong, 26, from Chicago, started collecting digital cameras two years ago for nostalgia and image quality.

She now owns 15 cameras and appreciates their single-purpose design.

“It really just comes out of wanting a detox from my phone being my everything,” she said.