Studies show kids and teens are spending up to 9 hours a day on devices. This has lead to rising concerns around mental health, social isolation and cognitive development, which is greatly impacting children’s ability to focus and learn in school. Despite this, real-world interventions remained scarce.
Partnering with Fixby, we launched Don’t Look Down, a 9-hour psychological horror film that mimicked the average teen’s daily doomscrolling habits. Premiering at Roxy Cinemas to a private audience of teachers, parents and policymakers, the film forced them to confront the reality of smartphone addiction. By scanning a QR code on screen, viewers could cut the film short and then vote at endthescroll.com for smartphone bans in schools. The campaign led to 500k+ votes and widespread PR, helping to nudge the UAE Ministry of Education to ban smartphone usage during school hours. Fixby’s lockable pouches then emerged as a prime solution to help enforce the new rules.