Getting kids off their smartphones is a battle many parents are all too familiar with. If you're monitoring it without any help from technology, you'll know it's a relentless full-time job and how hard it is to be consistent.
Introducing the Marshmallow app, which Samsung says "helps a child develop healthy smartphone usage habits based on self-control".
There are a number of apps around to set time limits and disable devices, but Marshmallow is the first device-control app to dangle tangible prizes to motivate the kids.
After all, it's one thing to be earning digital coins that soon lose their sparkle, and a whole other thing to be earning points for gift cards to be spent in desirable stores.
Marshmallow rewards children for setting their own goals and sticking to them, with regards to time spent on their device. They lose points for using it beyond the set goal, and parents have all the usual parental control options, such as limiting use of certain apps, time limits for time on device, and password-protected delete and disable options. You can also set bedtimes, and daily and weekly reports are available to both parent and child.
It's only available to Samsung Galaxy users, and Australians might want to implement their own gift card system for local stores. But it does look, on first view, that Samsung has found your kid's currency. Who doesn't love a gift card?
Available on Google Play.