New screentime gamification app, ScreenCoach, launches
With discourse continuing to swirl around Australian children and social media, a new app has been created to tackle screen addiction in young people.
ScreenCoach is a gamification tool that provides parents with the ability to control the devices of their children, blocking them when their designated screen time is up.
It requires children to “earn screentime” by way of engaging in activities, such as brushing their teeth or completing household chores.
Successfully demonstrating such actions supplies children with “Pocket Money Gems” or “Screen Time Tokens” as rewards they can use whenever they want. The app works for a range of devices, including Android and Apple tablets and smartphones, desktops, Macs and PC laptops to ensure that a child’s entire technological arsenal is blocked.
The app’s features were designed in line with psychology principles gained from co-founder Steph Kakris’ Master’s Degree in psychology. Steph’s partner and ScreenCoach co-founder, Peter Kakris’ background in technology was leveraged to develop the solution.
“Banning social media altogether isn’t the solution however, as it doesn’t teach children how to manage their time or develop a healthy relationship with technology,” Peter Kakris said.
(L-R): Steph Kakris, Peter Kakris
“It simply takes away the option, leaving them unprepared for when they inevitably have access to these platforms later in life.”
According to Steph, ScreenCoach was conceptualised as a response to a personal encounter that she and her partner had with screen addiction in relation to their child, and the lack of effective technologies to help.
“Peter and I experienced the devastating effects of screen addiction first-hand with our 14-year-old. It began with bullying at school and spiralled into social withdrawal and mental health issues, using screen time as a coping mechanism, leaving him bedridden and playing games like Destiny and Fortnite for 10 hours a day,” she explained.
“He was addicted, and we were desperate to help him. Thankfully, with therapy, a new school, and a lot of care, he recovered. If an app like ScreenCoach had been available then, we could have prevented his crisis.”
She added: “We tried other tech solutions, but they lacked a rewards system to manage screen time. Almost every parent we knew had the same screen time issues, so with our backgrounds in IT (Peter) and Psychology (me), we had to do something about it.
“We have spent the last 4 years working on ScreenCoach with input from psychologists and educators to create a solution like no other.
“Furthermore, parents who are frustrated with being the screen time police can relinquish this role with ScreenCoach taking on the role of the Bad Cop, easing family tensions and improving family relationships.”
The ScreenCoach co-founder further elaborated on the app’s uses, saying it can be used as a tool to educate children on budgeting in a society becoming increasingly cashless.
“Other apps just turn the screen off leaving children frustrated with children having no say or control over their destiny,” Steph Kakris said.
“With Australia quickly becoming a cashless society, it’s important to teach kids how to save in a digital world too. While the app shows how Screen time can be bartered as an effective currency, digital pocket money can also be earned and managed.
“This is so important in today’s society where cash is rarely used. The app tracks savings and even supports recurring payments, helping children budget and learn the value of things.”
The app’s launch comes in the wake of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s announcement that Australia would enact laws which bans people under 16-years-of-age from using social media. It’s a move that Opposition Leader Peter Dutton voiced support for last Monday, and is expected to be formally introduced on Thursday by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.
Social media giant, Meta, commented on the ban on the same day of Albanese’s announcement, sharing that while it supports age restrictions to promote greater safety, placing the responsibility of self-policing solely on platforms isn’t the best method.
“We think there is an obvious approach that aligns with what parents are telling us,” wrote Meta.
“Parental consent and age verification should happen at the app store and OS level. And we believe it should be required under Australian law.
“Parents share their child’s age and set up approval for app store purchases when setting up their child’s phone. We can use those existing systems, instead of complicated, time-intensive new ones that will create both a burden and a privacy risk for parents and teens.
“This multi-layered industry-wide approach will help ensure teens are actually safer.”
The social media behemoth’s global vice president of safety, Antigone Davis, added: “We respect any age limitations the government wants to introduce for social media use.
“However, what’s missing is a deeper discussion on how we implement protections, otherwise we risk making ourselves feel better, like we have taken action, but teens and parents will not find themselves in a better place.
“We strongly believe parental approval and age verification at the operating system and app store level will provide a simple and effective solution, while also reducing the burden and privacy risk for parents and teens.”
ScreenCoach can now be purchased from app stores at roughly $10/month “per family with cheaper annual plans”. It also boasts a 30-day free trial offering.
More app features specifically for schools are expected to launch, with the Kakris’ planning to expand ScreenCoach globally.
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Matthew is the editorial assistant at Mumbrella. He joined the company at the end of September 2023.
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