Skärmfri™ (Screenfree)
How does it work?
Skärmfri™ (Screenfree) is a smart lamp that measures how much time you spend surfing at home and lets you know when it’s time to take a break. Simply connect the lamp to the same Wi-Fi connection as your devices, start surfing and the light will begin gradually changing colour. After two hours online, the light will glow bright red. This means it is time to take a break and step away from your screen.
Unlike books or magazines – which have a clearly defined ending – social media and online games can go on forever. Skärmfri™ (Screenfree) is a smart new way of introducing a clear stopping cue to your surfing habits.
How long does it take for the lamp to turn red?
The lamp will turn bright red after 120 minutes surfing. During this two-hour period, the light gradually changes from white to red.
How did you decide upon two hours surfing time?
Research shows that we should not spend more than 20-30 minutes per day surfing social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Snapchat.
The Beta version of Skärmfri™ (Screenfree) is configured to work in two-hour intervals and is designed for a family of four to use. Of course, all families are different. In the future, we plan to make it possible for people to program the lamp according to their needs and the relevant number of users.
Can you see which screen you spend most time surfing on?
Unfortunately, you can’t see which screen you spend most time surfing on.
Does the lamp recognise all social media platforms?
The lamp measures traffic from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. These are the most popular social media sites in Sweden.
Can the lamp differentiate between surfing for work and surfing on social media?
Yes, the lamp recognises when you are surfing a website or surfing on social media.
Can you turn off your Wi-Fi and surf social media without the lamp registering?
It is possible to cheat and connect to the internet via your mobile instead of Wi-Fi, but that is missing the point. The lamp is there to help and families should use it because they want to. Of course, the lamp can’t solve the problem on its own.
Together with the individually tailored courses offered by skärmhjälpen.se, Skärmfri™ (Screenfree) can help families become more aware of how much positive and negative time they spend in front of their screens and find a healthy balance.
There are already apps available that measure time. Can’t I use one of those instead?
Today, there are a number of technical solutions available that highlight the amount of time we spend in front of our screens. iOS12 Screentime and the Moments app, for example, provide statistics about screen time and can be used to set time limits.
However, you can’t solve technological problems with technology alone – understanding and motivation are just as important. Skärmfri™ (Screenfree) is all about the human factor and human relations.
Where can I buy the Skärmfri™ (Screenfree) lamp?
The lamp is an experiment and is currently only available in a limited edition of 20. Five lamps will be sold on Tradera to the highest bidder with a reserve price of 5000 Swedish kroner. All money raised will go towards funding workshops for children and their parents on the subject of “Dealing with screen addiction/ finding a healthy balance with your screen time”.
The workshops will take place in schools in less affluent areas of town, where these types of activities would normally be beyond the school budget. We believe everyone should have the opportunity – regardless of where they live and where they go to school – to find the right digital balance, experience healthier screen time and enjoy stronger mental health.
