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Phone-free restaurants are trending across the US
You sit down for dinner. The menus arrive. And instead of everyone reaching for their phones, something different happens. People actually start talking. That is the whole point. Across the U.S., a growing number of bars and restaurants are asking customers to put their phones away. Some offer incentives. Others go further and lock devices in pouches. The goal stays the same. Create a space where people actually connect. This is not happening by accident. It reflects a broader shift in how people think about screens, attention and time together.
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COWBOY CHEF SAYS PHONES AND SCREENS AT DINNER ARE TEARING AMERICAN FAMILIES APART
The push toward phone-free spaces reflects a bigger change in how people think about technology. Research continues to link heavy smartphone use with lower attention spans, weaker memory and reduced social connection. As a result, schools, governments and businesses are rethinking when phones belong in the room. At the same time, daily habits show just how attached people have become. Recent data from Consumer Affairs shows Americans check their phones about 144 times a day and spend roughly 4.5 hours on them. That kind of constant interruption adds up. It changes how we experience meals, conversations and even live events. So people are starting to push back.
You might expect older generations to lead this shift. The opposite is happening. Gen Z is driving much of the change. A December 2025 survey from Talker Research found 63% of Gen Z say they intentionally disconnect from devices. Millennials follow at 57%. Generation X comes in at 42%, while baby boomers trail at 29%. That matters because Gen Z shapes culture, especially when it comes to social habits. When they decide something feels better offline, businesses notice. And businesses are adapting quickly.
Phone-free policies are no longer rare. At least 11 states now have restaurants or bars experimenting with restrictions or incentives. Washington, D.C., leads with several venues, while others appear in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Tennessee, North Carolina, New York and Texas. Some places keep it simple. Put your phone away and enjoy the meal. Others take a stronger approach.
At a Charlotte cocktail bar called Antagonist, guests place their phones in locked pouches for about two hours. The idea is to remove the option entirely so people can focus on each other.
Meanwhile, upscale chain Delilah enforces a strict no phones, no posting policy across locations in cities like Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami. The goal is privacy and atmosphere.
Even fast food is testing the concept. A Chick-fil-A location in Towson Place, Maryland, offers free ice cream to families who keep their phones off the table. Different approaches, same idea. Less screen time, more presence.
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Something subtle shifts when phones are out of reach. People stay in conversations longer. Meals feel more intentional. Even simple activities like playing a game or sharing a story take on more weight. One diner described the experience as rare. No notifications, no pressure to document the moment, no distraction. Just time with another person. Food experts say phones can pull attention away from the dining experience itself. When that distraction disappears, people often leave feeling like something meaningful actually happened. That feeling is what keeps customers coming back.
You do not need to visit a phone-free bar to feel what this shift is about. It is already showing up in our everyday lives. Think about the last time you sat down for dinner. You check your phone for a second. Then a message pops up. Before you know it, the conversation pauses and the moment slips away. That is exactly what many people are starting to notice and question. Try putting your phone away for a meal, even at home. You may find the conversation lasts longer. Things feel a little slower in a good way. You walk away feeling like you were actually there, not half distracted. This is likely just the beginning. More places may start limiting phone use, especially where the experience matters most.
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For years, phones have quietly taken over shared spaces. Restaurants, concerts and even small gatherings started to revolve around screens. Now the pendulum is swinging back. People are realizing that putting the phone down can change how a moment feels. It does not require a full digital detox. Sometimes it is just one meal, one conversation, one evening without distractions. That small shift can feel bigger than expected.
So here is the real question. When was the last time you had a meal where no one reached for their phone? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Airline sparks anger as it demands extra fees from already booked passengers as oil prices spike
A Spanish budget airline named Volotea is sparking flight passengers’ anger after reportedly asking them to pay extra charges for fuel after their tickets have already been purchased.
At first glance, the added charge — which will be $8 to $11 per passenger, per the “Simple Flying” aviation blog — does not sound high. But travelers are concerned the fee could herald higher prices for additional airlines as fuel prices continue to skyrocket.
The airline has a clause similar to clauses on some cruise lines — which allows the company to tack on charges based on the cost of oil. Volotea refers to the rule as its “Fair Travel Promise.”
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When a traveler purchases a ticket, there is a warning that an extra charge may be imposed around seven days before departure if the price of oil has increased, according to multiple reports.
“In the event of extraordinary variations in fuel prices affecting international energy markets, Volotea may apply a limited and temporary adjustment to the ticket price prior to the scheduled departure of the flight,” the company’s website says.
“The exact amount of any such adjustment will be communicated to passengers prior to departure, once the applicable fuel cost variation has been determined,” the website also says.
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“Such adjustments will only apply to passengers who have been informed of this possibility during the booking process, allowing them to make an informed decision before completing their purchase,” the website adds.
Fox News Digital reached out to Volotea, which is headquartered in Barcelona, for comment.
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Since news broke of the company’s extra charges, travelers have been reacting online.
“Pity to see a funky airline like Volotea resort to such a gritty survival instinct. I understand the ‘why’ behind the fuel costs, but charging for already booked seats is a bold move that risks a lot of goodwill,” one reader wrote on the blog “Simple Flying.”
“A loophole in the conditions of carriage allows them to do this? Who ever reads the conditions of carriage?” a second reader added.
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A third commenter disagreed, saying, “Airlines could, of course, just cancel flights, as some apparently already have. Next thing, there’ll be a shortage of seats, and guess what — prices will really rise.”
The same person also wrote, “$10 seems a small price to keep flights operating as normally as possible.”
The much bigger concern is that Volotea’s surcharge could be a sign of things to come.
Popular travel guide The Points Guy recommended that people not wait to book flights.
“If you’re planning to fly this summer, go ahead and lock in your airfare now,” The Points Guy wrote.
“As experts noted, prices could surge any day now. That’s especially true if you’re hoping to fly in June or July, which in recent years have been the busiest and most expensive months of the summer to travel.”
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Trump swings for moon with nuclear reactor plans as China, Russia team up in space race
A memo released by the Trump administration on Tuesday detailed a goal of having a nuclear reactor on the moon’s surface by 2030, a move that furthers the United States’ quest for supremacy in space over China and Russia.
In the six-page document, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wrote that incorporating nuclear energy in space will be essential to advancing U.S. efforts in “space exploration, commerce, and defense applications.”
“Nuclear power in space will give us the sustained electricity, heating, and propulsion essential to a permanent presence on the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wrote on X.
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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman celebrated the memo, which outlined how nuclear reactors will be crucial for eventual deep-space exploration to Mars.
“The time has come for America to get underway on nuclear power in space,” Isaacman wrote on X.
The memo cited President Donald Trump’s December 2025 executive order titled “Ensuring American Space Superiority.”
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It was signed just months after then-acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said on “Sean Hannity” that he wanted the U.S. to build a nuclear reactor on the moon before China does.
Last May, China and Russia agreed to work together to build a nuclear reactor on the moon’s surface by 2036.
The Department of War, Department of Energy, NASA and the Office of Science and Technology Policy have all been tasked with meeting the White House’s goals of deploying nuclear reactors on the moon’s surface and in the moon’s orbit.
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The memo outlines the Trump administration’s plan to deploy mid-power nuclear reactors in the moon’s orbit by 2028. Each nuclear power reactor will be designed to provide 20 kilowatts of energy, roughly the same amount used by an average American household.
The reactors will be designed to generate power for at least three years in orbit, and lunar surface-based nuclear reactors will provide energy for at least five years.
The memo’s publication comes just two weeks after NASA launched Artemis II, the first lunar flyby in more than 50 years. The mission was designed to test the Orion spacecraft’s deep-space navigation, manual piloting capabilities and life-support systems.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and NASA for comment.
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College football player, 20, killed in motorcycle crash while riding on interstate
A motorcycle crash in North Carolina claimed the life of a 20-year-old college football player over the weekend.
North Carolina A&T’s Kelvin Level Broadhurst Jr. died in Greensboro after being ejected from his bike.
Greensboro police said he was riding a Ducati motorcycle and lost control at around 5 p.m., according to The Charlotte Observer.
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Broadhurst, traveling east on Interstate 40 to get onto U.S. 29 South, hit a guardrail and was ejected from his seat, and pronounced dead at the seen.
“He’s just always been the most polite, most respectful young man… and everybody came in contact with loved him,” Broadhurst’s mother, Latoya Lyles, said to WFMY News 2. “He left a lasting impression on anyone he encountered. I loved him with everything in me… I needed him in my life because he made me a better woman from the day he was born.”
“I was planning his 21st birthday… and it just seemed unreal cause now I’m having to plan his funeral,” she added.
Broadhurst was a defensive lineman who appeared in 28 games during his time at the HBCU. He recorded 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Broadhurst was originally from Woodland, South Carolina and attended Dorman High School.
The crash is still being investigated.
Broadhurst was set to wrap up his junior year at the school. His best season was his sophomore year where he played in all 12 games and recorded 19 total tackles.
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