Samsung Creates App That Stops Kids From Holding Phones Close to Their Faces

Samsung has developed an app called "Safety Screen" which prevents users, especially children, from using their mobile devices at a dangerous viewing distance from their eyes.

The app is available on Android only and runs in the phone background. It uses a facial recognition sensor to determine when a smartphone or tablet is held too close the eye. If it detects that the device is too close, a "friendly" animation (pictured above) pops up and the screen is shut down. The screen can only come on again when the device is returned to the minimum recommended safe distance, which is around 25 centimeters. This can vary depending on the size of the screen being observed.

The app will also allow parents set a password that will prevent their children from deactivating the app.

According to the mobile giants, the app was developed in response to a report by Vision Council, an organisation that aims at championing better sight. The report attributed the increase in shortsightedness to a mix of genetic and environmental factors which include an increase in near-range activities such as the use of phones and tablets and decreasing exposure to natural light through outdoor activities.

Safety Screen was built by Samsung engineers in the United Arab Emirates. It has been downloaded 16,000 times across the Middle East and North Africa region since it was launched.