As the U.S. Surgeon General calls for social media sites to display warning labels similar to those found on tobacco products, a startup is unveiling a set of new tools that give users the power to fight app addiction. Designed for iOS, Roots improves on traditional screen time apps by measuring not only the time you use your device, but also the quality of time you spend in different apps with a “digital dopamine” tracker. Other features let users lock themselves out of their most addictive apps and add reminders to stop the algorithmic scrolling of their social feeds.
Co-founded by entrepreneur and developer Clint Jarvis, the idea for Roots was born from his own experience of burnout in the startup world.
Initially, he was looking to find a more balanced lifestyle by making time for meditation and getting outdoors, which later inspired him to start developing a nature-based mindfulness app. However, while attending Wildwood Ventures' entrepreneurial training program, the app's focus shifted to address a more pressing issue: people's unhealthy interactions with their devices.
“When we think about the mission of the product, it's to help people find a better balance with technology,” Jarvis explains. “We live in a very digitalized world, and mobile phones are amazing tools, but they're also very addictive,” he says. “We need to think of our phones more as relationships: How do we set boundaries?”
Roots is designed to help you get a better idea of what types of apps are worth your time and which ones aren't.
Image credit: Roots
“10 minutes on your Kindle is not the same as 10 minutes on Twitter. [now called X]”Digital dopamine gives us a way to actually quantify the impact of what we're doing on our phones,” Jarvis says.
“Digital dopamine” refers to a brain chemical also known as the “feel good” hormone that is triggered by using social media and other addictive apps.
Roots helps you set better intentions for how much time you spend scrolling and when to block that behavior. The built-in digital dopamine tracker measures the quality of your screen time across different apps and turns it into actionable insights to help you make decisions about your tech usage.
The app comes equipped with several tools to help you break the scrolling cycle, including standard features like scheduling downtime and limiting apps by specific apps or categories. The app integrates with Apple's Screen Time API to help you configure some of these settings.
But the app goes a step further with its “Monk Mode” feature, which allows you to set limits and blocks that even you cannot override, to really stop you from scrolling. You cannot bypass the feature by logging out of root, changing the date and time on your phone, or using other workarounds. In beta testing, this mode was well received by users, as it allowed them to set stricter limits on addictive apps.
Image credit: Roots
Roots also offers a “balanced score” that quantifies users' phone usage in a personalized way, helping them know what they can improve and how. In the future, Roots may also add things like leaderboards so users can see how they compare to others.
Another feature will pop up reminders to stop scrolling and let you customize personalized suggestions for other activities like reading a book, spending time with family, or going for a walk.
The freemium app makes money through in-app subscriptions that cost $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year, with paid plans offering more advanced features like Monk Mode and digital dopamine reports.
Image credit: Roots
Roots allows you to build streaks by staying within your screen time limits, earning rewards like cheat days. Premium subscribers who practice good habits will also be gifted a physical Scroll Stopper that introduces a “speed bump” that can be worn on your phone, similar to a Livestrong bracelet or rubber band. Scroll Stopper will make you think twice about scrolling through apps when you pick up your phone.
Image credit: Roots
In beta testing, Roots reduced the average user's screen time by two hours per day, Jarvis said.
Roots began as a personal project for current CEO Jarvis, but the app was now co-founded by Head of Design Pontus Wellgraf, who has worked on design projects for MasterClass, Netflix, Microsoft, Huawei, Samsung and Ford; Head of User Experience Vikram Chauhan, who is also the founder of Quiet Parks International, a non-profit focused on reducing noise pollution and protecting quiet spaces in nature; and Head of Developer Marcin Czech.
The startup has received $550,000 in pre-seed funding from Wildwood Ventures and other angel investors in the Atlanta area.