Screenfree - The lamp that tells you when you're done surfing.

Oct. 08, 2018

Screenfree is a smart new lamp that tells you when it’s time to take a break from your phone, laptop or tablet. By connecting to your WiFi, Screenfree measures how much time you and your family spend on social media. Then, when it’s time to be social in real life, it glows red to let you know. 

Research shows that passive recreational time on social media is unhealthy if you go beyond 30 minutes per day. Screenfree registers time people spend on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and SnapChat. When a person reaches their allocated daily limit of screen time, the light from the lamp changes from white to red, signalling that it’s time to stop. 

Unlike books, for example, digital media generally lacks a clear cue to stop - it just goes on forever. This leads to us spending more time bingeing in front our screens. In some cases, this bingeing can lead to depression and addiction – especially amongst teens that average 5 hours social media per day. Screenfree is the objective family member, that kindly hints when it’s time to go offline.

The Screenfree lamp is just one of many tools offered by Skärmhjälpen.se (The Screenhelp) - a service that keeps track of your screen habits to help you maintain a healthy balance between life online and offline. The Swedish insurance company Länsförsäkringar, known for their work with social sustainability and digital health, is behind the initiative.