An Interesting High School Club

Way back in the early 1800’s, several groups of textile factory workers in England took to destroying machinery in cotton and wool mills believing that the arrival of those machines threatened their jobs. They were led by a named Ned Ludd. Very quickly, they became known as Luddites. Now, the term Luddite refers to a person who is opposed to new technology. Currently, there’s a group of teenagers in New York City who meet regularly at a local library with this rule: no smartphones. They call themselves the Luddite Club. One member, high school student Lola Shub was like many of her peers, obsessed with her phone. She was constantly snapping selfies and scrolling through social media. But when she saw the freedom a friend experienced when she ditched her smartphone, Shub did the same. She offers this advice to teens: “Spend time getting to know yourself and exploring the world around you, it’s so much more fulfilling and real than the one inside your expensive little box.”