Antonia Holder listened to Allyson Coffin’s podcast and felt she had discovered a member of her tribe. The talk was about the negative impact of devices on the posture of American teenagers, an issue Ms Holder was tackling with DigiRoo, the iPad case she invented to reduce neck strain.

The Bermudian entrepreneur reached out. Dr Coffin, a chiropractor in Maine, loved the cases so much she started selling them through her practice.

Ms Holder then donated 60 of her award-winning DigiRoos to first-grade students at Mabel I Wilson, the school Dr Coffin’s daughter attends.

Seeing her daughter contort into various positions while using an iPad during the pandemic inspired her to launch the product in 2022; the positive response from the Maine school was cause for celebration.

“Every time I receive that level of ― let's call it validation ― every time I meet people who really see the value in what the DigiRoo brings, it's emotional because it lets me know that I'm on the right track,” she said.

“I reached out to [Dr Coffin] because I heard her on a podcast that I follow. She was talking about how she's seen some teenagers who have what she called ‘tails’ on the back of their neck.

“As much research as I have done, I had never heard of a tail before. But all that simply means is there's been bone development on the back of kids' necks because of the downward head movement.

“It's a lot to unpack there, but I reached out to Dr Coffin and I told her I have this tool, this invention that I've created, which is specifically aimed at helping to support our kids' positive posture and prevent tech neck.”

Her idea was always to donate part proceeds of every DigiRoo sold and to give a percentage of the cases to educational programmes. It’s an offer Ms Holder has made here “but nothing has come to fruition just yet” except at Warwick Academy, which has implemented DigiRoos into its classrooms.

She was thrilled that Jenna Burke and Phyllis Jones, teachers at Mabel I Wilson, “loved the idea, loved the concept [and] saw the value in it”.

“The DigiRoo cases have been a fantastic addition to our first-grade classrooms,” they said. “They are incredibly easy to use, and we've noticed a significant difference in how engaged the students are during tech-based activities. The design helps reduce neck strain, which means the kids can focus on their tasks for longer periods without discomfort.”

DigiRoo, “the only kid-friendly iPad case ergonomically designed to support positive posture”, ships worldwide through Amazon; however school distribution remains one of Ms Holder’s key goals.

“The reality is a go-to-market strategy in the US is challenging, and if you don't have the right partners and the right investment, what you can do is limited, and I think that we've done a great job with the resources that we have, in trying to move DigiRoo forward and get it into the hands where it's going to serve the greatest value,” she said.

Education plays a big role. Ms Holder is offering a free screening at Warwick Academy tonight of the documentary, Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition.

The film, which looks at “the latest research, expert insights and advice” is “specifically tailored for the students, parents and educators of elementary schools to help them better navigate this digital age”.

It’s part of a series of films by Delaney Ruston that explore how technology impacts the development and mental health of children.

“We're not just selling the product, we are trying to provide resources and tools for parents and educators and children to better understand the impact of technology,” Ms Holder said.

“Part of my mission is to help us understand the impact of technology from an early age. Because there's a lot of talk about teenagers and social media, but the reality is, eight year olds now have smartphones. And they talk about that in the film.

“The new challenge for the teachers is that they have to battle with smart watches, which have games on them ― you can send messages; you can get on your socials.”

Immediately following the movie, Ms Holder, Shawnee Basden, an adolescent mental health expert, and Caroline Roque, a paediatric physiotherapist, will discuss ways of improving “digital wellbeing for Bermuda’s youth”.

“I'm bringing Screenagers here as a free event, just to help raise the awareness and then also make it relevant to Bermuda, which is why I’m hosting a panel discussion with two other local experts in the area of psychology and physiotherapy, because that is what is heavily impacted by excessive screen time.”

Where internet “addiction” was once defined as spending a minimum of eight hours online, the criteria have since evolved. A US study found that 50 per cent of teenagers now pick up their phone “almost constantly”, she added.

While a new benchmark for addiction is still being defined, Ms Holder describes it as any amount that interferes with a child's ability to complete their routine responsibilities and schoolwork.

“If you're on the phone or iPad when you come home from school for three hours and can't do your schoolwork – that's excessive. If you're watching movies for 12 hours on a weekend, both days, and you're not going outside and you're not exercising, you're not spending time with your friends and family, that's excessive. But right now, the norm, according to the surveys, is kids are spending upwards of five hours consuming digital media a day.”

It's a complicated issue because screen use is “all-encompassing”, covering everything from schoolwork to social media.

“I advocate for a balance. I don't say screen time is bad and don't do it, we should avoid it at all costs ― that would be doing our children and the next generation a disservice. But we really have to get the knowledge we need as parents and educators to help guide and shepherd the kids so that they can have a balanced approach,” Ms Holder said.

• Join Antonia Holder, funder of Kids Digital Wellness, at Warwick Academy tonight from 6.30pm until 8.30pm for a free screening of the documentary, Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition, and a panel discussion featuring Ms Holder, Shawnee Basden, an adolescent mental health expert, and Caroline Roque, a paediatric physiotherapist. Refreshments will be provided. For more information visit kidsdigitalwellness.com/