According to new research from the United Arab Emirates University, almost 30 per cent of the population of young Emiratis might be addicted to their phones.
One UAE-based startup wants to change that, by offering young people incentives to lock their phone away and get on with other tasks.
Lock&Stock is a company that wants to reduce screen time by giving participants offers and rewards for locking their phone away.
Founded by Craig and Ian Fernandes in September, the app works via Google Maps and will automatically lock your phone when it detects you are in a relevant academic institution. According to the company, this should minimize time wasted spent on your phone and help improve their studies.
For every minute students have their devices closed, they will earn a ‘key’ token which can be redeemed for a whole host of discounts and offers. Students can even use these tokens to apply for jobs and internships at vrious companies listed on the platform.
“If we could give students an incentive, a reward for keeping off their phones, in exchange for a buy one get one offer to their favourite restaurant I’m sure any student from around the world would take us up on that offer,” said Chief Marketing Officer Hussain Ali Asgar to Arabian Business.
“You ask a student where they like to eat, where they like to watch movies or shop, most likely those places are listed on our platform,” he added.
Presently, there are more than 500 participating universities and more than 52,000 students on the platform. According to Lock&Stock more than 603-years of time have been saved by the app over the last three years alone.
You can download the app right here.
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