Documentary about a break from digital consumption: Freedom is giving up your smartphone

It was the first time I had conversations with my brother in years.” What sounds like a dramatic reunion with a missing person is actually the testimony of a teenager who has lived without a cell phone for a month.

In a five-part documentary, eight young people and their teacher go without their smartphones for a month. Her video diaries show how everyday life and the view of one's own use change. Five parts sounds long at first. But you are quickly drawn into the world of the adolescents, who in these four weeks (re)gain a freedom that is reminiscent of their own childhood, when long hours had to be killed.

“I feel like a survival YouTuber,” says a student at the end of the first episode after handing over her smartphone. Soon, not only young people, but also teachers and parents will question their digital consumption. Because one thing has long been clear: it's not just young people who have a digital consumption problem.

“Four weeks without a smartphone”, 5th episode, Die Zeit

New hobbies arise: old radio plays by “Bibi Blocksberg” are listened to, people become addicted to “books” and invent their own television shows. At the same time, the newfound freedom seamlessly turns into frustration: How do I find my way around without Google Maps? How do I take the train without a Germany ticket on my cell phone? But the documentary also shows that solutions can be found for most problems and that the smartphone is less necessary than expected.

There are no amazing new discoveries. Nevertheless, you catch yourself thinking about simply getting rid of your cell phone and, above all, the need to always be reachable. So where is the registration for the next time documentary for adults in which you discover a cell phone-free self and maybe a few new hobbies?