From Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s historic tours to the launch of the Sphere, 2023 has been the long-awaited comeback year for live events. The resurgence of in-person gatherings has brought with it a sense of euphoria over the simplicity of collectively sharing an experience. At the same time, poor live event etiquette has sparked fraught social media debate over what behavior is acceptable in public.
Attendees have gone so far as to throw items onto stages, including a cellphone that hit singer Bebe Rexha in the face (causing her to need stitches) and the ashes of one P!nk concert goer’s mother. Fans often jockey viciously for the optimal spot at a venue from which to capture pictures and videos of performers or film other fans without their consent. Much of the post-COVID-19 concert conduct that’s been called into question has revolved around a lack of awareness or disregard for the experiences of other event attendees, and is often exacerbated by cell phone usage.
That’s partially why Yondr, a company that creates phone-free spaces by providing cell phone pouches to live events, schools, and other environments, has seen a massive increase in demand this year. The company, which was founded in 2014, has seen a 150% spike in schools using its phone pouches in 2023. It’s signature pouches can be found at 20 to 30 venues on any given night according to founder Graham Dugoni. Now, the company is bringing its ethos into living spaces with the launch of its Yondr home tray.
“Our task over the last two years has just been to keep up,” Dugoni says, estimating that Yondr’s staff has grown by 100% in 2023 alone.
Dugoni was inspired to create Yondr after attending a music festival where he saw concertgoers film a drunk man without his knowledge. Disturbed by the incident, Dugoni began to question the role of technology in social spaces, and whether the devices actually took away from, rather than enhanced, people’s experiences.
According to Dugoni, Yondr’s phone pouches, which cannot be opened without a metal “unlocking base,” are used by 1 million students across 3,000 schools in 16 countries. Two thousand schools and 700,000 of these students are in the United States. He estimates that one third of New York City high schools use the pouches, which cost $30 per student for everyday use during the academic year.
Dugoni thinks that both remote learning and a slew of district and county laws banning cell phone usage in classrooms have played a role in Yondr’s increasing popularity. Lawmakers and educators have cracked down on cell phone usage in schools to lessen distractions, promote social engagement among peers, and prevent bullying. They’ve been implemented with varying degrees of success, but continue to grow in prevalence.
