Meet Kindling, the 2026 Break the Scroll Prize Winner

This year's Break the Scroll Prize winner is Kindling, built by a Senior Division team from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

What Kindling does

Kindling helps parents and teens reconnect in a distracted world. The app gives families research-backed conversation starters, bonding activities, and nudges tailored to each family.

The team built it to work for all kinds of families, including long-distance and single-parent households. They put it in front of real families, demoing the app in person and hosting an online session for parents.

A family approach to social media safety for teens

Most advice about social media safety for teens is about limits, like screen time caps and parental controls. Kindling starts with the relationship. It gives parents and teens more reasons to talk, so conversations about phones and online life happen between people who already feel close.

About the Break the Scroll Prize

Technovation's Break the Scroll Prize asks teams to design mobile apps and AI tools that improve teens' digital well-being, self-esteem, and creativity instead of chasing screen time and engagement metrics.

The prize rests on four principles: attention is sacred, platforms are accountable, people deserve wise choices, and reflection matters more than comparison. Read the original prize announcement for the full challenge.

Congratulations, Kindling.

The Kindling team demoing the app with families and hosting an online session for parents.