Skip to content
Get started

AM- 4 fun ways to spend time with friends without using your phone

Ana Martinez Irureta
Ana Martinez Irureta

"This content is part of a student project at UCLA Extension. Any logos used might be slightly changed to indicate that this document is NOT a communication from the company represented by the changed logo. Any statements made in this content are the statements of the UCLA student and not of any company. This statement is made so that any reader will understand this document is part of a UCLA student project and NOT a communication from any existing company."

Buyer Persona: Alejandra Nogueras
Buyer's Journey Stage: Awareness
Keywords: screen free games, quality time with friends and group activities for students without phones.

The phone problem in student apartments

photographic students seating all together in one living room but each one of them is using their phone-1-1

We always end up on our phones when we hang out.

If you live in a shared student apartment like I do, you know exactly what I mean. You invite friends over for a casual hangout. Everyone arrives excited to see each other. You sit down together in the living room or kitchen.

Then it happens.

Within 2 minutes, 5 out of 6 people have their phones out. The group chat goes completely silent while everyone scrolls TikTok individually. Someone shows a funny video to the person next to them. The other four people don't even look up from their own screens.

Sound familiar?

Why phones kill quality time with friends

"It would be nice to do something together instead of scrolling all the time."

That's a direct quote from someone who lives exactly like us: university student, shared apartment, surrounded by friends but feeling disconnected.

The problem isn't that we don't want to hang out. We do. The problem is we default to our phones because:

  1. They're always right there in our pockets or hands. 
  2. Opening TikTok takes 2 seconds vs. thinking of an activity. 
  3. We assume everyone else wants to scroll too. 
  4. Most "group activities" feel like too much effort. 

But here's the truth: games without screens exist. Simple activities that take 30 seconds to start and actually get everyone laughing together. No preparation. No equipment. No complicated rules.

4 screen-free activities that actually work

 

I've tested these in real student apartments with 4-8 people. They work every time:

1. Uno card game (my number 1 recommendation)

Time to start: 2 minutes
What you need: Uno deck (5€ at Action)
Why it works: Everyone understands basic rules instantly. The +4 cards create instant drama. Even shy friends scream when they get hit. Portable for any apartment size.

Real example: Last Thursday, 6 of us played Uno on our tiny kitchen table. Phones went in a pile in the center. We laughed for 45 minutes straight. Someone got so mad about three +4 cards in a row they almost flipped the table.

2. Quick drawing challenge

Time to start: 30 seconds
What you need: Any paper and pens
How to play: Each person draws something terrible for 60 seconds. Everyone has to guess what the drawings are and has to vote on the worst drawing. Loser gets a silly punishment. 

Pro tip: Use toilet paper if you have no paper. Works just as well.

3. Would you rather.

Time to start: 10 seconds
What you need: Nothing
How to play: Go around the circle asking increasingly ridiculous "Would you rather" questions. First person who can't answer loses.

Examples that got huge laughs:

  • Would you rather have fingers as long as legs or legs as long as fingers?
  • Would you rather only be able to whisper or only be able to shout?
4. One minute storytelling

Time to start: 20 seconds
What you need: Nothing
How to play: One person starts a story with any sentence. Next person adds one sentence. Continue around the circle. Gets increasingly ridiculous.

Example start: "The pizza delivery guy arrived riding a goat..."

 

Why these beat scrolling individually

Group activities for students without phones have three things digital scrolling never delivers:

  1. Shared memories: When Maria screamed "NOOOO!" after three +4 cards, we'll talk about it for weeks
  2. Real connection: Eye contact, facial expressions, shared laughter you can't get from watching videos alone
  3. Unexpected moments: You can't plan when someone spills their drink celebrating a Uno win

Compare that to TikTok:

  • Funny for 3 seconds
  • Scroll to next video
  • No one else in the room experienced it
  • Repeat 800 times
  • Still feel disconnected

Research shows phones at social gatherings reduce relationship quality by 23%. When phones are present (even face down), conversation quality drops and people feel worse about hangouts afterward.

The Uno advantage: Game mechanics force interaction. You must look at other players. You must react to their plays. You must talk strategy. It's literally designed to create social moments.

Real student apartment math:

  • Average hangout: 90 minutes
  • Phone scrolling: 75 minutes (83%)
  • Talking/laughing: 15 minutes (17%)
  • With Uno activities: 75 minutes talking/laughing (83%)

That's a 400% improvement in quality time with friends.

Making it happen in your apartment 

photographic 8 Phone pile in the middle of a kitchen table

 

The "phone pile" rule: Everyone puts phones face down in the center. First person to touch theirs does 10 pushups (or buys next round of beers).

Apartment size solutions:

  • Tiny kitchen table (4 people): Uno perfect fit
  • Living room floor (6-8 people): Drawing challenge + would you rather
  • Just 2 friends: Storytelling relay
  • Waiting for late friends: Would you rather tournament

Your challenge:

Here's your 4-step plan:
  • Step 1: Buy Uno deck (€5 maximum)
  • Step 2: Text 4+ friends "Hangout Friday, phones stay home"
  • Step 3: Phones in pile. Teach Uno rules (2 minutes)
  • Step 4: Enjoy actual conversations for once

Quality time with friends isn't dead. It's just buried under phone notifications.

Now it's your turn! Which of these 5 would you try first? Have you found other games without screens that work in student apartments? Share below!

Comment here!

 

 

Share this post

Keep reading