Systems and methods for preventing addictive application usage

• US 10,409,979 B1
• Filed: 08/15/2016
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gen Digital Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Gu, Lei, Newstadt, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Gee, Jason K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cattungal, Dereena T
• Application Number:
  US15/237,170
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 726 22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for preventing addictive application usage may include (i) identifying a user of a software application, (ii) monitoring the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application, (iii) determining that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior relative to a baseline behavior in relation to accessing the software application, and (iv) automatically executing an application control action in response to determining that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for preventing addictive application usage, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying a user of a software application;

monitoring the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application;

comparing the user'"'"'s habits to a baseline behavior in relation to accessing the software application;

determining that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior based on time spent on the software application relative to the baseline behavior in relation to accessing the software application, comprising;

comparing a total number of application notifications sent to the user with a number of notifications sent to the user from the software application to determine the time spent on the software application; and

automatically enforcing a daily time limit on the user'"'"'s access to the software application in response to determining that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior based on the comparison of the total number of application notifications sent to the user with the number of notifications sent to the user from the software application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior further comprises:

comparing a total access time the user spends using applications with an access time the user spends using the software application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior further comprises at least one of:

determining that the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application significantly differ from the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing at least one other application;

or

determining that the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application significantly differ from at least one other user'"'"'s access of the software application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior further comprises determining that an access time the user spends using the software application is greater than a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

alerting an administrator of the potentially addictive behavior;

blocking the user from accessing the software application;

or

adjusting the baseline behavior.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting the baseline behavior comprises:

adding the user'"'"'s habits to a dataset that comprises usage habits of a plurality of users; and

using the user'"'"'s habits, along with the usage habits of the plurality of users, to calculate the baseline behavior.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning an addictiveness score to the software application.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising at least one of:

sending the addictiveness score to an administrator;

or

blocking an installation of the software application based on the addictiveness score.

9. A system for preventing addictive application usage, the system comprising memory, the system comprising:

an identification module, stored in the memory, that identifies a user of a software application;

a monitoring module, stored in the memory, that monitors the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application;

a determination module, stored in the memory, that determines that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior based on time spent on the software application relative to a baseline behavior in relation to accessing the software application by comparing the user'"'"'s habits to the baseline behavior, comprising;

comparing a total number of application notifications sent to the user with a number of notifications sent to the user from the software application to determine the time spent on the software application;

an execution module, stored in the memory, that automatically executes an application control action including at least enforcing a daily time limit on the user'"'"'s access to the software application in response to determining that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior based on the comparison of the total number of application notifications sent to the user with the number of notifications sent to the user from the software application; and

at least one processor that executes the identification module, the monitoring module, the determination module, and the execution module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the determination module further determines that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior by:

comparing a total access time the user spends using applications with an access time the user spends using the software application.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the determination module further determines that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior by at least one of:

determining that the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application significantly differ from the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing at least one other application;

or

determining that the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application significantly differ from at least one other user'"'"'s access of the software application.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the determination module further determines that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior by determining that an access time the user spends using the software application is greater than a predetermined threshold.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the execution module further executes the application control action by at least one of:

alerting an administrator of the potentially addictive behavior;

blocking the user from accessing the software application;

or

adjusting the baseline behavior.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein adjusting the baseline behavior comprises:

adding the user'"'"'s habits to a dataset that comprises usage habits of a plurality of users; and

using the user'"'"'s habits, along with the usage habits of the plurality of users, to calculate the baseline behavior.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising assigning an addictiveness score to the software application.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the execution module further executes the application control action by at least one of:

sending the addictiveness score to an administrator;

or

blocking an installation of the software application based on the addictiveness score.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

identify a user of a software application;

monitor the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application;

compare the user'"'"'s habits to a baseline behavior in relation to accessing the software application;

determine that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior based on time spent on the software application relative to a baseline behavior in relation to accessing the software application, comprising;

comparing a total number of application notifications sent to the user with a number of notifications sent to the user from the software application to determine the time spent on the software application; and

automatically enforcing a daily time limit on the user'"'"'s access to the software application in response to determining that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior based on the comparison of the total number of application notifications sent to the user with the number of notifications sent to the user from the software application.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to determine that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior by:

comparing a total access time the user spends using applications with an access time the user spends using the software application.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to determine that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior by at least one of:

determining that the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application significantly differ from the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing at least one other application;

or

determining that the user'"'"'s habits in relation to accessing the software application significantly differ from at least one other user'"'"'s access of the software application.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to determine that the user'"'"'s habits indicate potentially addictive behavior by determining that an access time the user spends using the software application is greater than a predetermined threshold.