Arianna Huffington is trying to help you kick your smartphone habit. The author of “The Sleep Revolution” and former Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post says that everything from apps like Instagram to games like Candy Crush to news alerts can be addictive. “There’s absolutely no reason to be receiving 12 different notifications giving you the latest Trump tweet,” she told Cheddar. “If you want to pick one, pick one.” She pointed out that the vast majority of people who aren’t in the news industry can just go directly to sites at leisure. Those sentiments are part of why she launched the Thrive app, which allows users to limit app usage and go into “thrive mode,” where they don’t receive notifications from anyone who’s not on their “VIP List.” Everyone else gets an alert letting them know when the Thrive user will be available. Its debut, though delayed from an intended December release, is timely given the increased focus on the dangers of too much technology. Two major Apple investors this month urged the iPhone maker to help curb device addiction in children. Huffington knows the potential impact of being always-connected first hand. She founded Thrive Global in 2016 to counter burnout after collapsing from exhaustion and breaking her cheekbones a few years back. She’s since then been an advocate of sleep and wellness. The Thrive app will only be available on Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 devices. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/arianna-huffington-launches-thrive-app-to-combat-tech-addiction).
