The NHS App is playing a vital role in keeping us safe. It monitors those around us and identifies potential risk. We are alerted to the danger, given the right advice, and then compelled to take immediate action.

It would be a pity if this multi-billion pound investment wasn’t utilised to its full potential to protect us from all the perils that blight us. The NHS App could be expanded to help us make ‘informed decisions’ in all kinds of everyday scenarios. AI algorithms would replace the flawed notion of ‘working things out for ourselves’.

Protection from disease-spreaders

Many of us are frightened to use public transport because we don’t know which of our fellow passengers is Covid safe. The Safety App could scan all those on board trains and buses. The phones of the unvaccinated could emit a high-pitched screech until they leave the train. This will keep public transport safe and enable to you get a seat without booking. In time, the App could be expanded to empty nightclubs of unsafe or unsuitable potential partners.

Staying Calm

By linking the Safety App with your Fitbit, your blood pressure can be monitored while you conduct household chores or watch TV. When the App detects that Boris Johnson’s latest Covid announcement is making your blood boil, the App can switch the channel from BBC News to a much-loved episode of ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. In time, the app could filter out harmful programmes containing views that differ from your own and therefore might cause you undue emotional stress. 

Safe Levels of Drinking

We easily find ourselves drinking too much. The Safety App can detect the sound of a popping cork or the gentle hiss of a beer cap being removed. If you have reached the government’s permitted alcohol units for the week, Ping!, the App suggests that you have a cup of tea.

Crowd control

If you attend football matches, you are at risk of associating with people who have uneducated opinions. Ping! The App can advise you if you are sitting within two metres of an unsavoury individual. To disassociate yourself from their behaviour, kneel until the App gives you the all-clear. This feature can also be used when accidentally straying into working-class neighbourhoods.

Healthy Eating

When doing the weekly shop, it is easy to be tempted by unhealthy food choices. Ping! The App can provide simple directions to the aisle containing broccoli and pre-sliced carrots. A Premium version of the App can deliver small electric shocks if you accidentally select the non-organic vegetables or fail to choose the vegan option.

Protection from the Unmasked

More and more people are shopping without masks and we find it stressful to ask them to cover their face. The App can use facial recognition technology to identify people who are displaying a face to be recognised. Human expressions, like a smile, are microagressions when used by the unmasked. The App can ping the phones of anyone with a visible face and flash ‘Selfish bastard’ on their screen, as a gentle encouragement for them to mask up.

Wolf Whistle Ping?

Women in summer dresses are at risk when walking past a building site. The App can warn any woman of the risk of wolf whistles when it detects the distant clang of scaffolding, or a diesel generator. Google Maps will then provide an alternative route to save women from having to hear dangerous phrases like ‘nice dress sweetheart’ or ‘you look bloody gorgeous in that, love’.

Get pinged! Stay Safe.