An app that rewards students for time spent away from their phones is being released in the UK.

Hold was developed by three students who met at Copenhagen Business School and wanted to develop something to help with the issue of device distraction.

It has proved popular in Scandinavia, with more than 120,000 users across Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

Experts are growing increasingly worried about the issue of device addiction.

According to a 2017 study by the University of Texas, simply having a smartphone within eyeshot can reduce productivity, slow down response speed and reduce grades.

A previous study from the London School of Economics suggested pupils who did not use their smartphones on school grounds saw a 6.4% increase in test scores.

The app will initially be rolled out to 170 universities around the UK. It works on both Android and iOS devices and is free to download.

Students will accumulate 10 points for every 20 minutes that they do not use their mobile phone between 07:00 and 23:00 every day of the week.

Points can be exchanged for goods and services within the app’s marketplace, with brands such as Caffe Nero, Vue cinemas and Amazon signed up.

To earn two free coffees, students will need 300 points, which equates to 10 hours on the Hold app. For free popcorn at the cinema, they will need to spend two hours to accrue 60 points.

Students can also exchange their points for books and stationery which are donated to schools via Unicef.

– Jane Wakefield

Read more: Rewards for Students Who Put Down Phones

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