UK Dad Done With Being Ghosted Invents App That Takes Over Child’s Phone Until They Respond
We've all probably felt frustrated trying to get a hold of someone over text when we know for sure that they're just sitting on their phones scrolling through social media while ignoring our messages. Well, one UK dad said that enough was enough, so he invented a literal app to get his son to stop ghosting him.
Honestly, it's a pretty legendary response to a problem that we've likely had with our kids. If only we could install this on our landlord's, boss's, and spouse's phone as well...
Nick Herbert Just Wanted To Cut Into His Son Ben's Game Time
Southeast London dad Nick Herbert is the inventor and frustrated parent behind the ReplyASAP app. He was feeling a little neglected when his 13-year-old son Ben went off to school so he decided to buy him a smartphone to make getting in touch easier.
Spoiler alert: it didn't. In a twist that surprises literally nobody, the phone just made it easier for Ben to ignore his dad while playing games. Instead of setting some ground rules, this dad decided that he should up the ante in a techy way and create an app that forces his kid to respond.
It Locks The Kid Out And Blasts An Alarm
The ReplyASAP app (which is currently $0.99 in the Google Play store) works by taking over the kid's screen when the parent messages them. It blares an alarm until the kid answers the text and even notifies parents when the kid has seen the message. Herbert is clearly done with Ben leaving him on read.
Slight obvious drawbacks to this include being super annoying and potentially disruptive during school or extracurriculars and Ben really wanting to text his dad less. Herbert told reporters that he hopes the app will "make their relationship better." Sure.
Don't Worry, It's Not Going To Be The Go-To Method Of Communication
For all the people reading this and getting a little concerned, don't worry, Herbert assured reporters that the app isn't going to be the primary way he and his son communicate.
Herbert says that, "if I have something important to say I will send an urgent message. Will it be the bane of his life? Maybe, I'm not going to be using it all the time to speak to him. It is supposed to be a fail-safe." Using it only for emergencies makes sense, we're just hoping other parents use it for that too.
One Minor Hiccup... Ben Can't Use It
If you're sitting there thinking that this man has discovered a fool-proof way to get his kid's attention, then think again. Herbert has currently only developed an Android-friendly version and Ben, in an ironic twist of fate, uses an iOS phone.
So it's back to the drawing board for Herbert to figure out how to communicate with his son. In the meantime, you can buy the $0.99 Google Play version to speak to your Android-using kids.
