Gen Z hates phone calls. So why are college kids lining up to use this pay phone?

Gen Z is notoriously bad at picking up the phone. Boomers grew up on it.

A new social experiment wants to get them talking − to each other.

Outside of a busy coffee shop on Boston University’s campus, a sign on a bright yellow pay phone invites passersby to "call a boomer." In a lobby across the country at Sierra Manor, a subsidized senior housing facility in Reno, Nevada, a similar pay phone reads, "call a zoomer." When a user on either end of the line picks up the phone, it automatically dials the companion phone. The calls are free for both users.

The biotech startup Matter Neuroscience installed the phones as a social experiment to connect Gen Z with older adults, two age demographics experiencing high levels of loneliness. The phones, installed the first week of March, will stay up at least until April 9.

"They’re two demographics that often are at odds as far as perspectives and just outlooks on the world, and you might not think that they have a lot in common," says Calla Kessler, a social strategist for Matter who helped come up with the project. "Being able to connect them and encourage conversation might introduce some positivity in both of their lives, some friendship that's much needed and a wisdom exchange."

Kessler says for young people living their lives increasingly online, the hardest part of making the project is "the build-up" that comes with "picking up the phone and giving it a shot."

"It was a little nerve-racking," says Boston University sophomore Sadie Cohen of trying out the phone. "You don't know if someone's going to be online immediately, so that impromptu conversation’s kind of scary, but it was good scary."

In conversations recorded by Matter Neuroscience, students and seniors have discussed the weather in their respective states, compared their college experiences and discussed where one another are from.

"There's definitely an exchange of advice being sought out," Kessler says. "The younger people want to know what the older people think about life, if they have any words of wisdom."

For some members of Gen Z, the idea of picking up a phone and calling someone − especially without sending a heads-up text first − is intimidating. Studies find that Gen Z prefers texting over calling, citing factors like convenience and reduced social anxiety.

Cohen pointed out that for her and many peers, it might be the first time they’ve used a pay phone in public. She appreciated the analog aspect of the project.

"I don't even know if I’ve seen an actual pay phone around, ever," Cohen says.

Project aims to combat loneliness, promote intergenerational dialogue

This isn’t the first of Matter Neuroscience’s projects to go viral. Earlier this year, they used a cross-country pay phone exchange for their "party line" project, connecting people in San Francisco with those in Abilene, Texas, to bring together Democrats and Republicans with differing viewpoints. That project generated more than 350 conversations and 400 voicemails.

With this project, the focus is on loneliness and generational divides, not political ones.

"We live in isolated times, and we need each other. Humans need one another on a molecular level; we're very social beings at heart," Kessler says.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly half of adults reported experiencing loneliness, but former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in the spring of 2023 declared America’s loneliness epidemic a public health crisis. Loneliness and social isolation can increase risk for premature death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to the report.

"Loneliness, I definitely see that around," Cohen says. "Our society has moved a lot away from in-person social interaction, between the same generation, and then especially across generations."

When Matter Neuroscience approached Pavement Coffee in Boston about setting up the phone by its storefront, Marketing Coordinator Thomas Tague-Bleau says he thought back to the hardships of navigating social dynamics during college.

"There’s a lot of relatability there, and this project sort of taps into that and helps people think about other people, as simple as that sounds," Tague-Bleau says.

After April 9, Kessler says the company will evaluate the success of the phones and consider extending the project's duration.

"You see people online commenting, 'People yearn for community,' " Kessler says. "It's true… we need each other."

Rachel Hale’s role covering Youth Mental Health at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

Reach her at [email protected] and@rachelleighhale on X.