Born into a world of smartphones and endless scrolling, could Gen Z now be rediscovering life beyond the screen? The growing appeal of knitting, ceramics and journaling suggests more than a fleeting trend, it reflects a real desire to slow down and reconnect.
This generation is often criticized for its chronic dependence on screens, yet one that also masters their codes perfectly. That is the paradox: hyperconnected, certainly, but also self-aware. According to a study relayed by ARCEP, 62% of 18-24-year-olds who say they spend more than three hours a day on screens consider that time excessive. They are well-aware. However, it remains to be seen whether this marks the beginning of a clear break from screens.
Ironically, it is on social media that the shift appears most clearly. TikTok and Instagram feeds are filling with pottery wheels, crochet stitches and carefully annotated journals. Of course, these moments are filmed, edited and posted. But before the post comes the activity itself: the time spent shaping, sewing or writing. In other words, time taken away from the screen to reconnect with artistic or craft practices, whether alone or together.
Old-Fashioned Activities Back in Vogue
Knitting, pottery, sewing. The lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic had already sparked a return to these hands-on activities. Yarn was pulled out to pass the time, and many tried their hand at ceramics between two Zoom meetings. Yet the return to “normal” life did not send needles and paintbrushes back to the cupboard.
The trend has since become more structured. What once were scattered tutorials on YouTube have evolved into a new generation of content creators who are professionalizing these practices. One example is Justine, based in northern France and known online as @jorjadela_. Followed by nearly 260,000 people on TikTok, she has turned her passion for ceramics into a real business. With a studio equipped with a kiln and an online shop, a craft hobby is becoming a genuine economic model.
Justine’s success is far from an isolated case. It reflects a broader enthusiasm for handmade objects, produced in small batches and far removed from industrial production rhythms. For part of Gen Z, buying a hand-shaped mug is as much an aesthetic choice as it is an ethical one.
New Practices, New Spaces for Socializing
These activities are now taking over hybrid spaces where people come as much to create as to connect. Painting workshops open for an evening, pottery classes with friends, collective cooking sessions: hands-on activities are becoming a pretext for meeting others.
Some venues even offer painting sessions with a drink in hand. A telling hybrid that reflects a desire to slow down without giving up on pleasure. People no longer meet only for a coffee, taking turns to run through the latest updates. These “catch-up conversations,” where people inform more than they truly share, are giving way to moments that will become shared memories.
Conversely, some practices embrace intimacy. Journaling, the contemporary version of a personal diary invites people to record their thoughts, paste in images, and put their most private ambitions down on paper. Whether done alone or during collective workshops, writing becomes a tool for refocusing oneself.
One limit remains, almost inevitable. The phone is set aside while the clay spins or the ink dries. But once the object is finished, the reflex returns: photograph it, film it, share it. The offline moment often ends with a return to social media. Is this a contradiction? Perhaps not. Rather, it may signal a generation that is not trying to escape the digital world, but to rethink its relationship with it. Proving it can both master the screen and step away from it.
