Students, you know how it goes: essay to write, revision to do, yet you can’t stop checking your smartphone.

All that constant checking isn’t good for your brain. A 2017 study by the University of Texas found that having a smartphone within eyeshot alone can reduce productivity, slow down response speed, and reduce grades.

Yet, there is a solution to this smartphone addiction. The Hold app, launched in Norway and aimed at university students, rewards you for avoiding the distraction of your smartphone.

Today, the app is fully rolling out in the UK. As part of its roll out, it’s joining up with Vue Entertainment, the cinema brand, as its first partner.

As a reward from not checking your phone for an extended period of time, students can earn points. They will then be able to convert these points into discounted cinema tickets (worth £4.99) or a free box of popcorn at Vue venues up and down the country.

How does the Hold app work?

University students using the Hold app can accumulate points for every 20 minutes they don’t use their smartphone. This is between the hours of 7am-11pm, so sleeping doesn’t count.

Once you have a certain amount of points, you can exchange them for goods and services within the app’s marketplace, at any time.

It’s not just Vue where students can get free things. Points can be used at Caffe Nero, Amazon, Planet Organic, Ugly Drinks, Jabees, Onepiece and Flow Motion.

If you’re feeling charitable, UK students using Hold can also exchange their points for school books and stationary which are donated to schools working with UNICEF.

Where did the Hold app come from?

Hold was launched by three students, Maths Mathisen, Florian Winder and Vinoth Vinaya when the three met at the Copenhagen Business School, in Denmark. They are experienced the struggles of phone distraction and came up with the idea of Hold.

So far, Hold has raised £800,000 in seed funding. In addition, the company is joining the Founders Factory accelerator programme in London.

Mathisen, CEO of Hold, said: “With the Hold app’s marketplace, we want to rewards users for not using their phone, rather than punish them.

“We believe that for students aspiring to achieve the highest grades it is essential for them to be present and fully engaged with their surroundings, allowing for richer and more memorable experiences, without the constant distraction of a mobile phone.”

The Hold app is available to download on iOS and Android.