Problem: From time to time, you have probably spent hours sitting in front of the TV, watching movies and series or playing video games. However, after sitting in front of a screen for an extended period of time, you can unfortunately feel the strain on your eyes and back.
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Solution: This Billion Dollar Model would provide time-based eye-health, posture , and movement warnings when you're binging TV shows or movies. This model would not only be useful at home in front of the TV but also in other environments such as the office and school.
Active competitors to this model include Off Screen, Digital Wellbeing, and many other parental control apps Many apps provide screen-time reminders, but they don't provide clear instruction like, for example, "Give your eyes a rest for at least X minutes" or "You've been watching for a while - hope you're keeping great posture while watching this great show" or "Try to take a walk for X minutes before the next episode"
This kind of tool could rapidly grow in popularity with society's high demand for mental and physical health improvement tools. Again, an additional perspective would be the large market of parents increasingly concerned about their children's screen-time and health
According to Pew Research Center , “Fully 86% of parents of a child age 5 to 11 say they limit the time of day or length of time their child can use screens, while eight-in-ten say they take away their child’s smartphone or internet privileges as punishment.”
Screen-time is increasingly leading to more health-issues - additionally, more and more people are becoming more conscious of their media intake. This type of tool could also prove valuable in helping kids and teenagers build healthier habits while using technology. Here is some eye opening research by WebMD on the effects of computers on people’s bodies:
Eye problems caused by computer use fall under the heading computer vision syndrome (CVS). It isn’t one specific problem. Instead, it includes a whole range of eye strain and discomfort. Research shows that between 50% and 90% of people who work at a computer screen have at least some symptoms.
Working adults aren't the only ones affected. Kids who stare at tablets or use computers during the day at school can have issues, too, especially if the lighting and their posture are less than ideal.
You may notice:
If you don’t do anything about them, it could affect more than your eyes. You could also have issues with your work performance.
This research shows the need for a model that warns you that you need to take a break, in order to avoid all the symptoms listed above and more
Monetization: The app would include a 5% subscription fee; package deals could be marketed for multiple devices in a single household, allowing not only the home TVs to have this benefit but also the parents at work and the kids at school
Contributed by: Aakanksha Yelishala (Billion Dollar Startup Ideas)