It’s hard to imagine life without a smartphone — but that’s exactly what an increasing number of venues are trying to do. Phone-free spaces are quickly becoming the chic way to go out out.
There are the Secret Cinema events, that provide sealable bags for phones to create an atmosphere of exclusivity. Then there are countless clubbing venues that have introduced the policy. Take Amber’s in Manchester, which began hosting phone-free events last December. Then there’s fabric, the iconic London venue, that reopened in 2021 with a phone ban.
The impetus behind the trend seems to be encouraging connection and real, in-the-moment presence. After all, the trend coincides with a general sense of ennui about our over-dependence on our handheld devices: The mindless doomscrolling! The depressing stream of Instagram reels! The buzzing and beeping and blinking of those endless notifications! Many young people have, quite frankly, had enough. According to one government study, 1 out of every 2 teens feels addicted to their smartphones. Similarly, a third of young people claim they want to be less engaged by their phones. Many are now trying to live life without a smartphone altogether, turning instead to “boring phones”. The general feeling? We are all sorely lacking in “real connections”.
Enter the phone-free event venue. At first glance, it seems like banning phones could only be a good thing. But just how will such policies impact women’s safety? Well, it’s not necessarily a simple question. We spoke to women’s safety activist and founder of The Women’s Journal, Jennifer Read-Dominguez.
On one hand, phone-free spaces offer something many women will undoubtedly welcome: the promise of privacy.
As one woman told the BBC when asked about Amber’s phone-free events, like the events at Amber’s where stickers are placed over cameras, “It is the fear of being put on the internet isn’t it? Being really drunk and that embarrassing picture of you ending up on Insta, waking up and seeing the events of last night,” she said.
However, having access to a camera can also be a safety measure. “By placing stickers over phone cameras at the entrance, nightclubs are failing to account for the safety implications this poses for women as well as peace of mind,” says Read-Dominguez. “It’s not just about whether you can shoot a quick snap to your friend, it’s the reassurance that comes from knowing you have a camera ready to document anything that feels off. This small sense of control empowers women and helps them feel safer in an environment where harassment is rife and a lot worse can happen. Taking away the camera tool leaves women more vulnerable.”
And phone-free spaces have the potential to present other risks for women’s safety, too. Some women use safety apps to stay safe when they’re out. Others use phone tracing software to ensure a friend or family member can always see where they are. Leaving a phone behind entirely for a phone-free night would make these safety precautions impossible and could present a real threat to women going out for the night.
