Smartphone app urges turning the phone off

A Chinese software developer says his new smartphone app will urge users to turn off their phones and get some sleep. The application by 23-year-old Yang Yuan, named "I want to sleep early," will set off an alarm every 5 minutes if the user does not click "sleep" at the time he or she has set, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Monday. Once the "sleep" command is clicked, the mobile phone will be locked for 2 hours. "The intention of the application, which makes use of the pressure from social circles to supervise the users, is to encourage young workers and students to return to the healthy habit of going to bed early," said Yang, who works in information technology in Beijing. A recent report by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association showed 14 in every 100 Chinese stay up after midnight, with the growing presence of mobile media a major factor. Among those who kept late hours, nearly half said they were chatting online or playing games, the report said. An alert in Yang's app sounds at the time the user has set and clicking "sleep" will turn the phone to a dead brick for 2 hours. "It relies on self-awareness to give up staying up late and the application only works as a reminder, which will hopefully evoke people's focus on health," he said.