Question 1

Wait, you'll actually charge my card?

Accepted Answer

Yep. Real money. Real consequences. That’s the entire point of GoodScrolling. Behavioral science proves that loss aversion—feeling the immediate pain of losing $5 or $10—is 2x more effective at breaking screen addiction than willpower alone. The good news? Your doomscrolling funds clean water, tree planting, or cancer research instead of padding Meta or TikTok’s ad revenue.

Question 2

What if I have a really good excuse for going over my limit?

Accepted Answer

Nope. No excuses. No 'just this once.' The algorithm doesn't care about your feelings, and neither does your credit card. If you unlock your phone past your daily screen time limit, you pay your chosen charity. If you need emergency access, call your Accountability Buddy for a code.

Question 3

Can I just delete the app when I run out of screen time?

Accepted Answer

Sure, you could—and you'd just be cheating yourself. There's no magic trap door; deleting the app just means you gave up, wiped your progress, and surrendered right back to endless scrolling. You committed to building a better habit. Deleting the app is just admitting your phone won.

Question 4

How does GoodScrolling calculate my daily screen time penalty?

Accepted Answer

You set your daily screen time limit on the iOS app, Android app, or web dashboard—customizable in 5-minute increments starting at 15 minutes all the way up to multiple hours (the choice is yours). Once you cross your limit, every unlock incurs a pledge ($5 minimum per unlock). Your pledges accumulate in your weekly ledger throughout the week. To make sure nothing is a surprise, we send you a heads-up email on Saturday showing your weekly usage and balance before your credit card is automatically charged at Sunday midnight settlement.

Question 5

How much does GoodScrolling cost?

Accepted Answer

The web dashboard, iOS app, and Android app are 100% free to download and use. You only pay money when you fail to stick to your own screen time limits. GoodScrolling passes 100% of your base pledge to your chosen charity, and transparently itemizes processing fees at settlement time.

Question 6

When is my credit card actually charged?

Accepted Answer

We don't charge your card every single time you unlock your phone—that would flood your bank statement with micro-transactions. Instead, pledges accumulate in your secure weekly ledger throughout the week. We send you a heads-up recap email on Saturday, and every Sunday at midnight (local time), your total weekly balance is settled automatically in one clean transaction.

Question 7

Why are processing fees added to my pledge?

Accepted Answer

Stripe and credit card networks charge processing fees on every payment. Rather than skimming a cut from the charity's donation or charging a monthly subscription, GoodScrolling uses 100% Fee Pass-Through Billing. Every fee (Stripe processing + disbursement) is explicitly itemized at settlement so 100% of your pledge reaches your charity.

Question 8

Is there a minimum penalty or pledge amount?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every unlock incurs a pledge, with a $5 minimum per unlock. We set the threshold at $5 because micro-pledges below $5 don't trigger the psychological loss aversion required to break screen addiction. If you unlock your phone past your limit, $5+ goes to your charity.

Question 9

What happens if my card is declined at Sunday settlement?

Accepted Answer

If your payment fails, your active streak is paused, and you'll receive an email notification to update your card. You'll have 48 hours to update your billing details before your account feature access is restricted. Pay your dues, keep your streak alive.

Question 10

Can I get a refund if I unlocked my phone by accident?

Accepted Answer

No. That’s the entire foundation of loss aversion—accidents count, impulse clicks count, 'just checking one notification' counts. If we allowed refunds for 'accidents,' everyone would request them. The money goes to charity anyway, so take it as a $5 lesson in intentionality.

Question 11

Where does my money actually go?

Accepted Answer

100% of your base pledge goes directly to the non-profit charity you selected. We partner with Change (getchange.io) and Our Change Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, to process and disburse funds cleanly to verified non-profits.

Question 12

Are my GoodScrolling pledges tax-deductible?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Because payments are processed through Our Change Foundation (a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), your donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. You’ll receive an itemized receipt after every Sunday settlement for your tax records.

Question 13

Can I change my chosen charity mid-week?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. You can switch your active charity at any time under Settings on the web dashboard, iOS app, or Android app. On Android, you can also change your charity directly inside the pledge shield pop-up before confirming an unlock. Any new pledges accumulated after the switch—and any pending pledges in your current weekly ledger—will go to your newly selected charity at Sunday midnight settlement.

Question 14

How do I know my money actually reached the charity?

Accepted Answer

No trust needed—we give you full proof. After your Sunday settlement processes, your account generates an official donation receipt with a transaction breakdown showing your contribution to Our Change Foundation for your selected charity.

Question 15

What if the charity I want to support isn't listed?

Accepted Answer

We want to be completely transparent: as a growing startup, we launch with a curated collection of 50 top high-impact charities across environmental, health, education, and humanitarian causes. If there's a specific verified non-profit your heart is set on supporting, drop us a request and we'll do our best to add it to the mix. As GoodScrolling grows thanks to your support, so will our charity catalog!

Question 16

Does GoodScrolling see my browsing history, private messages, or photos?

Accepted Answer

Never. We care about stopping your doomscrolling, not spying on your life. On iOS, GoodScrolling uses Apple’s native ScreenTime API; on Android, we use native UsageStats and Accessibility. Operating system privacy architecture strictly isolates your data: GoodScrolling only receives aggregate minute counts for app categories you choose to block. We never see your browsing history, messages, photos, or private app content.

Question 17

How does GoodScrolling track my screen time?

Accepted Answer

Your phone’s operating system (iOS or Android) measures your app usage locally on your device. When you cross your daily limit on blocked app categories (e.g. social media or news), the local app detects the unlock violation and securely sends the unlock count to your web ledger.

Question 18

What permissions do I need to grant GoodScrolling?

Accepted Answer

Permissions are tailored to your device operating system: • iOS: Screen Time API access to monitor your chosen blocked app categories, plus Notification permissions for warning alerts. • Android: Accessibility Services (to enforce app limits), Notification permissions, and disabling Battery Optimization (so Android's battery saver doesn't put the blocker to sleep). All permissions are guided step-by-step in your onboarding flow. If you ever need to re-enable or adjust permissions, you can re-run the setup walkthrough in app settings.

Question 19

What happens if I turn off permissions or disable Screen Time in my phone settings?

Accepted Answer

If you revoke permissions or attempt to bypass system limits, the app loses the ability to track your progress and protect your time. Remember: GoodScrolling is a tool for people who want to break their doomscrolling habit. Turning off permissions is just cheating yourself out of self-improvement.

Question 20

Is my credit card data stored safely?

Accepted Answer

We never store or touch your raw credit card numbers. All payment processing is handled by Stripe, the gold standard in global payment security. Your payment details are encrypted using PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance.

Question 21

What is an Accountability Buddy and how does Emergency Access work?

Accepted Answer

An Accountability Buddy is a trusted friend, partner, or family member designated to keep you accountable and help you minimize your screen usage. When you're tempted to break your limits, your buddy is there to keep you honest. If you have a genuine emergency and desperately need access to your blocked apps past your limit, you can request an Emergency Access Code. GoodScrolling sends an instant SMS to your buddy with a unique unlock code—you have to reach out and ask them for it. This adds healthy human friction to stop impulse scrolling, while ensuring emergency access is available when you truly need it.

Question 22

Will my friends see which specific apps I’m using?

Accepted Answer

Never. Privacy comes first. Your friends on your Squad Leaderboard can only see your overall daily screen time total (in hours and minutes) and your total money pledged to charity. They will never see which specific apps, websites, or categories you were browsing.

Question 23

How do Squads and Friend Leaderboards work?

Accepted Answer

Squads turn self-control into friendly competition. Once you connect with friends via email or invite link, your dashboard updates with a live Squad Leaderboard. You can rank by Total Donated (who’s giving the most to charity) or Screen Time (who’s staying under their limits). Leaderboards auto-refresh so you can keep each other motivated.

Question 24

Can I invite someone who doesn't use GoodScrolling yet?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can generate a shareable invite link or send a direct email invitation from your dashboard. When your friend clicks the link, signs up, and sets their limits, you’ll automatically be connected on each other’s Squad Leaderboard.

Question 25

How do shareable Weekly Reports work?

Accepted Answer

Every week, GoodScrolling compiles your screen time stats, total pledges, and charity impact into a clean summary. You can download your report as a high-res image or generate a public web link to show off your progress (or own up to your doomscrolling penalty).

Question 26

Does GoodScrolling work outside the United States (e.g. Canada)?

Accepted Answer

GoodScrolling currently operates exclusively in the United States, but we are eager to bring it to Canada and international markets soon! If you are or know of a charity disbursement specialist who can help accelerate our Canadian rollout, please ask them to get in touch with us at stephan@goodscrolling.com.

Question 27

Is my personal data safe and compliant with US privacy standards?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. We adhere strictly to US data privacy best practices. We collect the minimal telemetry required to verify screen time penalties and improve your user experience. We never sell, monetize, or share your personal data or phone usage habits with third parties.

Question 28

Are my donation receipts recognized by the IRS for tax deductions?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Because your pledges are processed through Our Change Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, your annual contributions qualify as tax-deductible charitable donations under IRS regulations. You receive an itemized receipt after every Sunday settlement for your annual tax filing.

Question 29

How can I export my data or permanently delete my account?

Accepted Answer

You have complete ownership of your data. You can export your full pledge and donation history anytime from your dashboard under Settings, or permanently delete your account and all associated data by visiting our account deletion page (/delete-account).

Frequently Asked Questions