The "Stop-Scrolling" Bag

 There's a new it-bag in fashion but this time it is not about a designer, label or splashy logo. Instead, it's what's inside that counts.

So called "analogue bags" filled with activities such as crossword puzzles, knitting, novels and journals have become the accessory of the season, championed by millennials and Gen Z as a way to reduce screen time.

Bag
unknown artist
Photo Credit: Embroiderers Guild {CC BY-NC-ND]

Similar to a prep bag, the analogue bag or basket should contain all the essentials to remain offline for as long as possible. One user compares it to "a toy box for your attention span". David Sax, author of The Revenge of Analog, approves... "Our phones have everything you could ever ask for so you need an alternative to hand in order to fill that void." 

The term was coined by Sierra Campbell, a 31 year-old California content creator. "My biggest fear is that I'll lie on my deathbed and regret how much time  I spent on my phone," she says in a TikTok video where she suggests the concept.

The idea has now - somewhat ironically - become hugely popular on social media with users posting videos talking through their bags and tips on how to fill them. Some refer to them as their "stop scrolling" bags...

The trend is part of a wider push against a culture of doomscrolling and the need to always be online. According to Ofcom, the average British adult checks their phone every 12 minutes...

Offline and in-person activities including "cosy hobbies" such as pottery classes, crochet circles and even dinner parties are also increasingly popular.

"If you go to your phone for news, put a newspaper in your bag," Campbell says. "If it's for entertainment, try a good book. For creative inspiration, sketching tools or knitting. It's just like physical fitness: whatever activity you will actually do is the best one to include."

(Chloe Mac Donnell, The Guardian, 2026)

Well, in order to fill that void how about these alternatives for putting in the bag? Perhaps some handcuffs, without a key of course, a posh blindfold or a tea towel will do, a rubber chicken for emotional support, a raw onion for those crocodile tears, some strong and sturdy fisherman's gloves and finally a tiny bell to ring whenever you resist checking your phone.

 Perhaps I'll book a therapist now so that when I'm at death's door he/she/it can come and see me and then we can have a little chat. Alternatively, I might pick up my phone then - Chat GPT will do the same thing for free.