A 2024 survey by OnePoll, commissioned by Heineken, found that 41% of Gen Zers and Millennials find it frustrating to see a crowd of phones in the air at concerts, and 35% say they check their phones more often than they should when socializing.
“Today it feels like tech always comes first, leaving the enjoyment of real life in second place,” Nabil Nasser, global head of Heineken, said in a statement. “While technology grants us endless conveniences, it also comes at the cost of not being able to stop and embrace what’s happening around us.”
Heineken is not the only brand highlighting the downsides of smartphone overuse. Last year, tequila brand Jose Cuervo held a sweepstakes with White Lotus star Haley Lu Richardson giving out hundreds of flip phones, so people could focus on time with friends. And Squarespace’s Super Bowl ad, directed by Martin Scorsese, poked fun of people’s fixation with their phones, to the point where the entire world misses an alien invasion.