So does the US Surgeon General demanding a warning label on social networking sites similar to those found on tobacco products, one startup is launching a set of latest tools that empower users to fight app addiction. Designed for iOS, Roots offers improvements over traditional screen-based apps by measuring not only time spent on devices, but also the quality of that point spent on various apps using a “digital dopamine tracker.” Other features allow users to block access to the most addictive apps and add reminders to stop obsessively scrolling through algorithmic social feeds, among other things.
Co-founder by entrepreneur Clint Jarvisthe idea for Roots got here from his own experiences reaching the point of burnout in the startup world.
He initially tried to create a more balanced schedule for himself by making time for meditation and being outdoors, which later led him to start working on a nature-based mindfulness app. But while participating in the entrepreneur-in-residence program at Wildwood Ventures, the app focused on a more pressing issue: the unhealthy way people are interacting with their devices.
“If you just think about the product mission, it is to help people find a better balance with technology,” Jarvis said. “We live in a very digital world… our phones are amazing tools. But they are also very addictive,” he says. “We need to think of the phone more like a relationship. … How do we set boundaries?”
Roots goals to help people higher understand what apps are value spending their time on and what aren’t.
“Ten minutes on Kindle is not the same as 10 minutes on Twitter [now called X]Jarvis noted. “Digital dopamine allows you to actually quantify the impact of what you do on your phone.”
This “digital dopamine” is a reference to a brain chemical, also referred to as the “feel good” hormone, that may infuriated through the use of social media and other addictive applications.
With Roots, you possibly can set higher intentions, resembling how much time you wish to spend scrolling and when you wish to block this behavior. The built-in digital dopamine tracker measures the quality of screen time spent in various apps and turns this information into actionable information to allow you to make decisions about your technology use.
The app includes a handful of tools to break the scrolling cycle, including standard features like downtime scheduling and app limits by specific apps or categories. The app integrates with Apple’s Screen Time API, which helps configure some of those settings.
However, it goes a step further and includes features like “Monk Mode”, which enables you to get serious about stopping scrolling, offering the ability to set limits and locks that even you possibly can’t get around. You cannot even log off of Roots, change the date and time on your phone, or use other workarounds to bypass this particular feature. In beta testing, users liked this mode because it finally allowed them to set a hard limit on more addictive apps.
Roots also offers a “balance score” that quantifies your phone usage in a personalized way to allow you to see where and how you possibly can improve. Over time, Roots may add a leaderboard of sorts that may allow users to see how they stack up against others.
Another feature may appear as a reminder to stop scrolling, which you’ll customize with personalized suggestions for other activities, resembling reading a book, spending time with family, going for a walk, and more.
The freemium app makes money through in-app subscriptions of $9.99 monthly or $59.99 per 12 months. Paid plans offer more advanced features resembling Monk mode and a digital dopamine report, among others.
Using Roots, you possibly can create streaks while staying inside the screen closing date, allowing you to earn rewards resembling cheat days. Premium subscribers who practice good habits will even get a physical scroll lock, which introduces a “speed bump” that might be placed on the phone – similar to a Livestrong bracelet or eraser. Scroll lock makes you rethink scrolling through apps when you decide up your phone.
Jarvis said that in beta testing, Roots helped the average user reduce their screen time by 2 hours a day.
Although Roots began as a solo project for Jarvis, now CEO, the app’s co-founders today include others, including its design director Pontus Wellgraf, who has previously worked on design projects for MasterClass, Netflix, Microsoft, Huawei, Samsung and Ford; User Experience Manager Vikram Chauhanwhich he also founded International Quiet Parks, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing noise pollution and preserving quiet spaces in nature; and Head of Development Marcin Czech.
The startup received $550,000 in pre-seed funding from Wildwood Ventures and other Atlanta-area angel investors.