This clever new app bribes teens to get off their phones, with help from brands like Starbucks and Adidas

Parents make “deals” with their kids everyday. Mow the lawn and get your allowance. Finish your dinner, and you’ll get some ice cream. When Corey Scholibo was eight, his mother made him an offer: if he stopped sucking his thumb, he’d earn $20. He stopped in a week, and she made good on the promise. Now 47, Scholibo has a business designed around these childhood “deals.” In January, he launched an app-based service, Dayo Deals, that enables parents to strike bargains with their teenage children—specifically to help them reduce their screen time and social media use. Together, both parties work together to establish time limits and a monetary reward. If the teen stays within the limit, they keep the money; if not, the cash vanishes. Sure, it could be considered bribery. But Scholibo argues, quite simply: cash talks. “There’s something transactional about it, and that’s kind of the point,” he says. A screen time solution [Photo: Courtesy of Dayo] Parents and teens alike agree that t