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McLean High School students are putting down their phones and picking up a pastime that looks straight out of the 1980s and ’90s.

In classrooms, hallways and the cafeteria, students are gathering in circles to keep small woven footbags in the air without using their hands. The revived game is bringing laughter, friendly challenges and face-to-face interaction into spaces once dominated by screens.

Hacky sack requires little equipment or experience. Players can enter or leave a circle easily, and the shared goal of keeping the bag aloft makes the activity more collaborative than competitive.

“It’s a really fun activity that is not too pressuring,” sophomore Roxanna Sharafi said. “All people at any athletic level can play together and build connections with other people that you may not get to know otherwise.”

At lunch, some McLean students who once played games such as Brawl Stars on their phones are now spending that time playing footbag with classmates.

“It’s a fun way to bring people together and make friends,” sophomore Sabrina Rosenzweig said. “It’s so cool to see McLean students getting together to play a silly little game and connect with each other again.”

The trend has also developed an online presence. The Instagram account “Mclean_sack” shares videos of students demonstrating their footbag skills in group circles. Similar “varsity hacky sack” accounts at other schools have attracted attention on Instagram and TikTok, using social media to encourage an activity that happens largely offline.

Interest has been especially strong in the Northeast. Recent Google searches for “hacky sacks” were reportedly concentrated in Massachusetts and Connecticut and rose by about 5,000%. Some prominent online groups began among lacrosse players at New England preparatory schools before the game spread to a broader range of students.

The surge has made footbags more difficult to find. Local Dick’s Sporting Goods, Child’s Play Toys and Doodlehoppers locations have run out of supplies, while some online sellers have reported website traffic increases exceeding 2,000% and rising prices.

Hacky sack joins vinyl records, digital cameras, thrifted clothing and wired headphones among older products and pastimes finding new audiences. Although social media is helping fuel the game’s popularity, its main appeal lies in giving students a simple reason to step away from their devices and spend time together.

For a generation raised online, the retro footbag is becoming an unlikely tool for building new communities at school.