IRL > Online - the hopeful 2026 prediction we all need

Ahead of getting into the swathe of 2026 prediction lists and youth trends we all need to think about if we want to stay relevant (or perhaps not!), I’ve got a positive one for you, dare I say hopeful.

I read this excellent piece from John Harris in the Guardian over the weekend which stems around something I’ve peppered many an Engaging Youth update with – the move away from a life led on screens for the real thing.

Now, this isn’t an ‘online’s dead, viva IRL’ shift, but more of a redirection of effort. And you know what, I actually think AI is partly to blame/thank for it.

Social just isn’t….social any more

Online habits, as Ofcom’s latest Online Nations highlights, continue to shift and evolve, with adults spending a bit more time online this year than they did in the pandemic each day. But what they’re doing… now that is interesting. As the article references, a GWI study for the Financial Times found time spent on social media has actually dipped in the UK (have we passed peak social media?), despite online time being higher, and more are referencing that keeping up with friends is perhaps more prevalent on messaging apps than social media now.

The volume of content, from ads and influencers through to AI generated ‘slop’ is also causing a shift in our habits. Are memes even funny anymore? The Great Meme Reset 2026 suggests not. AI just isn’t as funny as us mere mortals.

Connected but lonely

We know rising levels of loneliness aren’t remedied by online connections and those real friendships and relationships created out in ‘the wild’ are hard to replicate on screen. Dips in online dating tell us so (a poll earlier this year suggests around 16% drop among Gen Z in the UK).

Seeking ways to meet people, not least for those who had key rights of passage, even whole university experiences trampled on by the pandemic, is something we see many youth audiences turn up for.

IRL activities with on screen value

The rise of the run club among Gen Z is something I’ve talked about before, along with hiking inspired by TikTok, knitting and hobbies, such as chess clubs, or DJ sets in coffee houses. Ways to bring fandoms, interest groups and social opportunities to make friends to the fore and help people find other people who share their interests. You know, like the 90s or something.

That said, there is also a real social value to reporting back on real life experiences online, whether that’s your Strava stats, your POV from a must see hike, or just telling everyone how great being with your friends was. Have we moved so far online that we forgot social media was a space where we shared our real life on?

Protected real life spaces

There’s a rise of clubs now offering screen free experiences (again rather 90s of them), with lock away pouches, stickers over lenses that kind of thing. It’s almost a selling feature and enabling a more positive, present experience.

Some gigs request this which I think we’ll see more of, protecting those experiences as must- see, because you can’t see them online, and when you’re there, you’re really there not being squashed by someone holding up their phone (as a lofting 5ft 4 I welcome this whole heartedly!).

But I think we’ll see more spaces, and not just schools, become screen free zones. Think of the gym culture debate that rages on about tripods being in the way, capturing others working out, being used as online content. I think we’ll see phone free zones in places like gyms to protect peoples’ experiences.

Film has become so normalised, people aren’t getting permission of people who appear in their shot, then posted to millions (or they hope millions if they go viral) online. There’s a very real potential for tougher regulation and social norms around filming culture that could coincide with this.

Bans and simple tech

Australia have banned under 16s from social media (although this parody suggests Australian Boomers should be next!), and in the UK we’ve seen tougher steps taken to protect children from online harm – such as age verification requirements on pornography sites which has already seen a huge decline of traffic.

There are signs that social media bans will become more widely supported for under 16s, and schools are toughening up on phone usage. Interesting because this mirrors what we’re seeing in adult spaces such as clubs and protecting experiences – time at break, and in the classroom will be more about connecting IRL whether that’s with friends or study material.

I think we’re likely to see similar bans on use of phones in lectures and in university spaces too. The rise in content critiquing lecturers, pulling pranks for views and rating student experiences can be problematic on many levels and does it help the student experience more broadly? Unlikely.

So before you get lost in Pinterest Predicts 2026 or what slang will make you seem like a cool older sibling among your youth audience, think about the real life experiences and ways you could engage audiences through them (and even because of them) for the year ahead.

I think we all need more IRL>online