PocketPoints, a mobile app created by college students that rewards students for not using their phone during class, is now available for students at the University of Maryland.
Students can earn discounts to Coldstone, Smoothie King and DP Dough, among other local businesses, just for keeping their phones off during class.
These rewards are distributed through Pocket Points, a free app that tracks a student’s phone use during class.
“I definitely need the incentive to keep my phone away and actually pay attention and take notes,” said Justine Fox, a senior civil engineering major, who uses the app.
Whenever students are on the campus, they can open the app and then lock their phones. For every 20 minutes the phone remains locked, students earn one point toward discounts.
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Fox said she is most looking forward to earning the discounts for Kevin Nails and Looney’s Pub.
This app will “save students money and hopefully increase their GPAs,” said Mitch Gardner, co-founder of Pocket Points.
The business aimed to launch at “the most popular colleges” around the country, and so far, it is at more than 100 schools, including this university, Gardner said.
“We’re not trying to solve the problem of excess phone use of the students, but we are just trying to mitigate the issue with kids using smartphones in class,” said Daghan Percinel, this university’s Pocket Points campus representative and a junior astronomy major.
Currently, both Gardner and Rob Richardson, the other co-founder of Pocket Points, are taking leaves of absence from California State University, where Gardner is a business marketing major and Richardson is a computer science major.
“In spring of 2014, I was a junior at Chico State, Rob was a sophomore, and Rob was sitting in class and kind of saw everyone on their phones not really paying attention,” Gardner said. “Then the entrepreneur [in him] was thinking there’s a problem and there needs to be a solution.”
Gardner said Richardson’s idea resonated with him because he perceived a phone addiction problem associated with classrooms, he said.
“We were curious to see if it would actually work and if students would really stay off their phones,” Gardner said. “One thing we really focused on was creating a great enough incentive for someone to do so.”
Students across the country who use the app can gain points toward a discount at local businesses on the campus as well as some online companies.
“It’s so easy to use and it’s literally free money so there no point in [students] not downloading it,” said Susanna Wach, a junior biology major.
Wach noted that if students earn enough points, they can earn a free calzone at DP Dough.
“As much as kids are always on their phones, they are also always worried about money,” Wach said. “College kids love free things, so why not combine free things with doing well in class.”
