Across social feeds and campus group chats, a new kind of New Year’s resolution is taking shape for 2026: a deliberate move away from always-on, algorithmic gadgets and toward older, simpler devices.

On January 1, 2026, one woman will ditch her smartphone, deactivate all of her social media, cancel any streaming services and return to a simpler time—she’s not alone either. Ava is based in the U.K.