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Young people are turning to old-school hobbies to get off their phones
Young people use analog hobbies like needlepoint and birdwatching to reduce screen time, with some seeing up to 800 bird species, blending tradition with modern technology.
- Young people across the U.S. are embracing so-called 'grandma hobbies' like needlepoint, mahjong, gardening, pottery and origami, with the movement persisting beyond the pandemic into early March 2026.
- Spurred by pandemic downtime, a younger crowd first embraced these hobbies in 2020 when free time increased, seeking relief from screens and doomscrolling with hands-on distraction.
- Turning online attention into income, Emma MacTaggart, founder of What's the Stitch, grew social profiles and now sells needlepoint canvases, accessories and digital designs.
- Exposure to global audiences has helped analog hobbyists build thriving businesses and communities, including Anna Weare's one-year waitlist for one-piece spurs and Kristie Landing's Verse & Sip Mail Club serving hundreds.
- Amid legal pressure, TikTok and Snap have settled lawsuits alleging addictive design, while Meta and Google-owned YouTube plan to push back; some hobbyists like Isaiah Scott use the eBird app to enhance their pursuits.
Insights by Ground AI
18 Articles
18 Articles
‘Grandma hobbies’ are booming with Gen Z – here’s why
Emma MacTaggart’s demanding early career in investment banking left her with precious little free time, and even less of it screen-free. By the age of 23, she found herself constantly tethered to her phone after long work hours. Seeking an antidote to this digital dependency, she and her flatmates e...
'It feels like a video game, but in real life': Gen Z's love of analog 'grandma' hobbies jump from Pokemon to bird-watching, scrolling to needlepoint
Offline, tactile hobbies, like pottery, origami and even blacksmithing, are joining the knitting, gardening and needlepoint called "grandma hobbies."
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources18
Leaning Left5Leaning Right3Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 31%
C 50%
R 19%
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