As much as we love to rag on the next generation, there is a lot about Gen Z that is admirable. For example, young men are the most conservative bunch we’ve seen at their age in decades. Now, Gen Zers have given us yet another reason to have hope for the future.

They are, by and large, choosing to unplug from their devices. This is a huge development. Unlike Millennials, Gen Z was raised on iPads, cellphones, and a digital diet that has left them unfulfilled.

In fact, most American adults are seriously addicted to screens. “But here’s the kicker,” according to StudyFinds: “70% of time spent online actually leaves people feeling disconnected and lonely rather than connected to others.”

Gen Zers seem to have figured this out, as over half of them (63%) consciously unplug from their phones and screens. They choose to disconnect and pull out analog devices, such as a physical book, a journal written on actual paper, or a board game or puzzle, and use a watch that only tells the time. These choices are for their own sanity.

Books in particular are making a big comeback. Why? Because they train the brain to slow down and follow a storyline, they’re mentally stimulating, and they’re a peaceful way to unwind.

The act of putting down the phone is a recipe for thriving. According to Talker Research, “Respondents said that being digitally disconnected makes them feel more productive (42%), present for their loved ones (33%) and aware of the goings-on in their daily lives (36%).”

Gen Z is also rejecting influencer culture. On social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, users are bombarded with short-form videos of creators who are trying to sell them something. What was at first interesting has become mundane. How many get-ready-with-me videos with influencers flaunting their expensive makeup routines and designer clothes can we watch before getting bored? As Campus Reform reporter Caroline Giuffra put it in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, “We were meant to want the clothes, apartments and vacations we saw on social media. Instead, for many of us, constant exposure to staged and exaggerated wealth hasn’t intensified material desire; it’s drained it.”

From the influencers’ perspective, they are sacrificing anonymity for flash-in-the-pan fame and monetary gain. Yet it has got to feel pretty empty and robotic trying to keep up with every TikTok trend. Instead of experiencing authentic life, their lives are reduced to how much engagement they can score on social media.

Gen Zers, as I have said before, crave authenticity. They have been forced to lie about what they think and how they believe to get jobs and pass college classes, and that lack of authenticity is draining. It certainly isn’t freedom. Gen Z does not want to be suckered into a lifestyle of materialism and consumerism courtesy of social media feeds.

Giuffra again comments, “The places that are most meaningful to me aren’t the newest hot spots built for Instagram. They’re the old, familiar spaces: a booth with friends at a reliable restaurant, no phones, no one documenting the burger; a quiet corner bookstore where nothing is optimized for a feed, where the value comes from time spent browsing rather than from being seen.”

Gen Zers are consciously choosing to steward their screen time and unplug. They are opting for freedom of the mind. Their lifestyle choice is bringing them so much more fulfillment, and their influence will hopefully shape future generations, too.