Let's face it, a lot of time is wasted on our smartphones. I'm not here to judge because I'm just as guilty of getting on my phone when I'm bored, and feeling naked whenever it isn't somewhere next to me. While playing on your phone may not always be time well spent, here are a few apps plenty worth the data. Help families, victims and charities of your choice with these four amazing apps and games.
1. TraffickCam
TraffickCam invites users to contribute to the fight against human trafficking every time they check into a hotel room. To use this app, simply turn on your location, select a hotel and snap a few pictures of the room before settling in. These photos are added to a database that helps authorities find the locations of hotel rooms that are shown in images with sex trafficking victims. The app was developed by the Exchange Initiative and can be downloaded for free for iOS and Android.
2. Charity Miles
Make every mile count with Charity Miles! For every mile you run, walk or bike while using the app, you will earn money for a charity of your choice. For biking, you can earn 10 cents per mile and with running/walking, you can earn 25 cents per mile. It's a great way to get yourself moving while helping make a difference and anyone can do it. Get Charity Miles now on the App Store or the Google Play Store.
3. Donate A Photo
You probably take at least one picture every day, so why not make it count? For every photo you share to the Donate A Photo database, Johnson & Johnson donates $1 to a cause chosen by you. Users are able to share one photo a day and the pictures are used to bring awareness to your cause (but are never used for commercial purposes). Like the others, this app is free and is available for both Androids and iOS devices.
4. Free Rice
No, there isn't an app (at least for both iOS and Android) for Free Rice as it is a bit older than the others listed. However, Free Rice is still a wonderful site to spend time on. Take quizzes for different subjects including languages, sciences and even SAT prep. For every multiple choice question you answer correctly, 10 grains of rice is donated to the United Nations World Food Program. It's a great way to sharpen your knowledge while helping others. As I mentioned, I could unfortunately not find an app for Free Rice. However, you can simply visit www.freerice.com to start playing.
After all, we might as well feel good about the time we spend on our phones.