(MENAFN) A start-up in UAE has started a new incentive program for students to nudge them towards using their mobile devices less.

Research that was conducted in United Arab Emirates University the previous year portrayed that approximately a third of young Emiratis may have a smart-phone addiction.

It was indicated in the research that 18 to 33 year olds at the Al Ain campus used their mobile phones for more than seven hours each day.

It was stated that 29 percent of those individuals were using their phones "in a manner that could be characterised as dependent and potentially addictive."

But the start-up, Lock Stock that was established by Craig and Ian Fernandes back in September 2017, has started a company with one main objective in mind; decrease screen time, which they are achieving by offering a variety of offers and rewards to their users.

Hussain Ali Asgar, Chief marketing officer, has informed media: "Myself and the co-founders were all students. We were really struggling with the same problem, smartphone addiction. The idea was very simple. We looked around us and we saw our peers being addicted to their phones, especially during class time in classrooms. We thought this was something everybody should be made aware of. People should know that this is a real problem."

The concept is: for every minute students turn off their devices, they get a 'key', which later on can be cashed in for different discounts and offers.

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