Summary:
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Americans are seeking ways to disconnect, with searches for “digital detox” and “touch grass” surging on Google Trends.
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Interest in reconnecting with the physical world is growing, with searches for the meaning of “touch grass” on the rise.
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Activities like running clubs, tabletop games, and crafts are gaining popularity as people seek offline connections and hobbies.
Americans are looking for ways to log off, and Google has the search data to prove it. Interest in “how to digital detox” is up 110% since the start of the year, and “how to touch grass” is a breakout search over the past month, according to a Google Trends report published Tuesday on the company’s blog, The Keyword.
Plenty of people are not sure what the phrase means. Searches for “meaning of touch grass” are up 90% this year, per the report, which defines the term as intentionally reconnecting with the physical world.
The activities picking up steam have something in common. Most of them come with a built-in content format.
“Run club” and “how to start running” hit all-time high search interest in 2026, Google said, with “how to find local run clubs” and “how to make friends at run club” breaking out in the past month. “Walking club” reached a 10-year high. Searches for adult tennis lessons are at a record, and “best tennis racket for beginners” climbed 645% over the past month.
Tabletop games and crafts are moving too. “Mahjong for beginners” rose 230% over the past year and “mahjong lessons near me” doubled since January. Interest in “chess classes near me” doubled in the past month. Knitting, crochet and needlepoint, which Google grouped under the label “grandma hobbies,” are on the rise, and needlepoint is the top trending beginner craft kit. Searches for “floral arranging classes near me” jumped 850% in a month.
“How to host a cocktail party” and “how to host a garden party” are trending searches, and “mahjong dinner party” is a breakout party theme.
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IRL is trending, go touch some grass.
