Many focus apps fail to consider neurodivergent strengths, such as the ability to hyperfocus.
  • Lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    4 months

    Wow. Shocker. Who knew that focusing on a screen will cause more screen time?

    My kids asked me for some app called “Finch” the other day. It’s supposedly a mental health app, and rewards you by letting you raise a virtual pet of some sort. Except it has in-app purchases…it’s just freemium data mining.

    • VerdantMoon@slrpnk.netEnglish
      2 days

      I will say, Finch is the only one of the sort that helped me. The in-app purchases are merely that you can manage whether you have premium subscription (for real money) or not. It’s not necessary to enjoy the app. In game currency, used for dress-up and such, is earned from completing your self-care goals.

      I used it for a year, but once my bird was all grown up and had experienced everything, there wasn’t much point.

      • Lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        1 day

        Right, I get the idea behind it, but teenagers need less screen time in general. They already figured out how to get around the school’s internet policies (which IMO aren’t strict enough, shit needs to be on an allow list, not a deny list), and I had to lock things down at home as well because they kept trying to find workarounds. Despite what some teenagers may think, having a smart device is a privilege, not a right. And at their ages, they are most susceptible to deceptive marketing tactics.