The mental health of our youth is a complex subject that requires discussion and action. Now more than ever, we must seek out resources to help support the well-being of our young people while building healthier screen time habits.

This new year, Opal proudly supports Born This Way Foundation in its mission to support youth mental health and work with them to build a kinder, braver world. 

You can participate today by sharing your positive screen time story, and get a free year of Opal PRO.

Why Youth Mental Health Matters

As our society continues to become more digitalized and screen-dependent, the impact of screen time on mental health has become a primary concern. Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem can arise from prolonged screen time due to the lack of physical activities, poor sleep patterns, cyberbullying, and even worsening body image issues.

Unfortunately, many young people often feel isolated or misunderstood when dealing with mental health issues. Youth mental health is a priority and must be addressed to ensure that our young people receive the emotional support they need to live healthy, happy lives.

Opal is committed to promoting the well-being of our youth through proper screen time management by emphasizing healthy screen time habits. 

Born This Way Foundation And Channel Kindness

Founded in 2012, Born This Way Foundation works with young people around the world to inspire kindness, build more inclusive communities, and provide mental health resources. The Foundation's mission is to support youth mental health and work with young people to build a kinder and braver world. 

The foundation launched Channel Kindness, a global initiative to provide young people with the opportunity to share their stories of kindness with the world. Through the online platform, the Foundation inspires our audience to share stories of kindness, resilience, and community and provide ways young people can take action in support of causes they care about. 

How Screen Time Management Supports Mental Health

Knowing how screen time affects mental health is the first step in addressing the issues of screen time and mental health.

Social media and tech addiction are a growing concern in today’s society. It involves a person’s overindulgence in screen activities, which can lead to serious mental health issues. The Pew Research Center shows that 5-10% of Americans are addicted to social media and technology.

Furthermore, according to the Clinical Psychology Review, there is a direct relationship between high screen time usage and depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem in kids and adolescents.

Screen time management is essential for maintaining a healthy balance between digital and real-life activities. It allows young people to unplug from the digital world and focus on physical activities, foster worthwhile connections, and delve into creative outlets.

Plus, screen time management enables young people to set goals, achieve personal targets, and acquire important life skills that can lead to a higher sense of purpose, self-confidence, and resilience.

However, while it may seem contradictory, engaging in positive screen time presents a boundless potential to foster social connections, provide educational opportunities, and drive meaningful entertainment. These platforms can allow individuals to share their works and stories with the world, offering a space for self-expression while having a positive impact on communities. 

How Opal Supports Mental Health And Kindness

Opal is a screen time management app that empowers young people to take back control of their time and refocus on the things that matter to them. Through screen time management, young people can limit screen usage and block distractions to prioritize more meaningful activities such as physical activity, sleeping, socializing, or other altruistic pursuits.

Opal offers a wide range of features such as Focus Report, Focus Sessions, and Focus Score, allowing users to track screen usage with clear metrics, schedule focus time, and create reports with useful insights. Plus, with our community of users, young people can share their journey, offer advice and inspire others.

We have helped thousands of users refocus and take back control of their time. In fact, according to our internal survey, 94% of our users report being less distracted, 93% relish in higher productivity, and 90% enjoy an improvement in their well-being.

Here are a few thoughts from our users:

‍

‍“I’ve been using Opal now for a while, but today I turned it on all day with a few tiny pauses during the day. It felt great. No endless scrolling, no feeling like I’m behind or that I should be productive.”

Travis Werbelow~ Studio Staff at Deloitte Digital

‍

“Trying out the new Opal app today to help me carve out moments of quality family time. Really well-done. The cute character and attention-to-detail visual design are 🔥.”

Frank Bach ~ Lead Product Designer at Headspace

‍

“This has helped with my phone addiction like nothing else. I figured you can't beat OS-level tools, but...here we are. Using a local VPN to block traffic is amazingly useful.”

Kara Gates ~ Staff Design Strategist at Google

What You Can Do Today: Support Channel Kindness

‍

What is Channel Kindness?

Channel Kindness is an initiative of Born This Way Foundation. Its mission is to inspire young people to build a kinder and braver world, one story at a time. 

To support this cause, we invite you to check out the stories of kindness, resilience, and community, share your own story, and engage with actionable opportunities to spread kindness in your community!   

Every act of kindness matters and can make a difference in someone’s life. By being part of this initiative, you can validate the emotions of young people, make kindness cool, and eliminate the stigma that surrounds mental health.

‍

Share your story and get a free year of Opal Pro

We invite you to join the global Channel Kindness community, where together we can amplify stories, build a supportive network of peers, and share kindness! As our way of saying thank you for being part of this movement, we are giving away a free year-long subscription to Opal Pro. So come on board – let’s make an impact with kindness!

In addition to the features of our Free version, Opal Pro also offers premium screen time management features such as unlimited recurring sessions, Whitelist Mode, Deep Focus Mode, and Focus Score with History.

Submit your Channel Kindness story to win Opal PRO for a year! Here's how:

• Go to the Channel Kindness website.
• Submit a post sharing your personal journey about focus or screen time.
• Then send us proof of your participation as a public social media post with a hyperlink to your story and tag both Channel Kindness and us on Instagram OR Twitter @withopal @channelkindness #ChannelKindness.
• Lastly, don't forget to follow both of us on our respective social media accounts to stay up to date with the latest updates and activities!
• We will respond via DM to give you access to a free year of Opal PRO.

Thank You

We are so thankful for your support and for considering becoming a part of this movement. Together, we can create a world for the current and next generations to practice positive screen time habits.

We at Opal are committed to helping young people retake control of their screen time and prioritize their mental health. We look forward to seeing how you foster mindful screen time practices while making the world a better place for 2023.

Happy New Year! 🌟