ZAGG and Eyesafe Partner on Advocacy Campaign to Support Blue Light Awareness Day and World Sight Day

SALT LAKE CITY and MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ZAGG, a global leader and innovator for screen protection, and Eyesafe, a world leader in blue light standards and technology for the consumer electronics industry, announced a joint initiative aimed at raising public awareness around the potential health risks posed by exposure to high-energy blue light. Blue light is given off by all digital devices, including smartphones, computers, monitors, tablets, and even televisions. There are both known and emerging health concerns from blue light exposure, including sleep disruption, digital eyestrain, and the potential long-term, cumulative impacts to eye health.¹

The advocacy campaign, which kicked off on Sunday, October 10, in honor of California's Blue Light Awareness Day, will continue through World Sight Day on October 14, and cumulate at the end of October. As a pivotal month for digital eye safety, ZAGG and Eyesafe have created educational materials to share with the public through their respective social media channels, PR, email, and websites.

The campaign focuses on the steps consumers can take to safeguard against prolonged exposure to blue light, as well as the short-and-long-term risks to our eyes and health. It brings in relevant and timely data from UnitedHealthcare and Eyesafe's Screen Time 2020 Report, which revealed 94% of eye doctors are concerned about prolonged exposure to digital devices. World-renowned doctors from the Eyesafe^® Vision Health Advisory Board contributed articles and responded to questions around blue light exposure, which can be found at bluelightawarenessday.org. In addition, social media influencer Natalie Zfat created a video to share with her half a million followers on social media. She has worked with the likes of LinkedIn, Facebook, and Samsung, and is a regular contributor to Forbes magazine.

"Blue light awareness increased with COVID-19, as people shifted to remote work and distance learning," says Eyesafe CEO Justin Barrett. "Even so, we know there is more work to be done to educate the public about the potential health risks from high-energy blue light exposure. With screen time tipping 13 hours a day, it is more important than ever to take proactive safety measures in reducing our exposure to high-energy visible blue light."

"We're proud of our strong partnership with Eyesafe over the years," said Chris Ahern. "As mobile devices continue to play a significant part of our lives, we feel a deep responsibility to educate the public and provide them with diverse screen protection products to help them mitigate the risks of exposure to blue light."

Blue Light Awareness Day, recognized on October 10 in California, resulted from the 2019 passing of SCR-73, a landmark resolution which outlined the growing body of evidence and scientific research related to the long-term health impacts of extended exposure to blue light emissions from digital devices.¹ Within the resolution, the State encouraged all its citizens, particularly children whose eyes are still developing, to consider taking protective safety measures in reducing eye exposure to high-energy visible blue light. Additionally, the resolution designated the 10^th of October as "Blue Light Awareness Day" in the state of California.

Since California's landmark resolution, other global bodies have followed suit. In May, the French Ministry of the Ecological Transition announced a new measure to limit blue light on toys having LEDs for children by 2022. The measure aims to protect the health of children under the age of 10, who do not have a fully developed crystalline lens. According to the Minister of Ecological Transition, the effects would be multiple, from the creation or accentuation of myopia, to sleep disturbances.

In September, China's National Press and Publication Administration published new rules for kids and teens under 18 years old, limiting their online video game time to three hours per week. These new restrictions are a continuation of China's efforts over the last 10 years to police the amount of time young people spend on video games. This originally stemmed from possible health concerns but was later expanded due to anti-addiction measures.

For more information about the Blue Light advocacy campaign, please click here.

About Eyesafe

Eyesafe brings together world leaders in healthcare and consumer electronics to develop industry leading requirements for high-energy visible light (HEVL) and color performance that are based in human health. Eyesafe provides industry-leading technology to reduce high-energy blue light in consumer electronics, helping to re-design displays for human health. Eyesafe technology and standards were developed by a world-class team of eye doctors, engineers, and scientists, with decades of experience in electronics, display materials, and light management. Eyesafe recently ranked #5 in the computer hardware category in Inc. Magazine's 2021 list of the 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America. To learn more, visit https://eyesafe.com.

About ZAGG

As a global leader and innovator for screen protection, protective cases, tablet keyboards, and power management solutions, ZAGG delivers 360-degree protection for the devices that connect people to their world. ZAGG draws inspiration from those who passionately seek active, creative, and share-worthy lives and empowers them to fearlessly enjoy their mobile devices. ZAGG is based in Utah and has operations in the United States, Ireland, and China. With more than 250 million devices protected globally, ZAGG mobile accessories are available worldwide and can be found at leading retailers including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target. For more information, please visit the company's website at ZAGG.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Media Contacts:

Jeff DuBois, jeff.dubois@zagg.com   

Arick Wierson, arick@eyesafe.com

¹ Summary of Blue Light Research, https://eyesafe.com/research

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SOURCE Eyesafe